Powerful electrical events quickly alter surface chemistry on Mars and other planetary bodies – Newswise

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Newswise Thinking like Earthlings may have caused scientists to overlook the electrochemical effects of Martian dust storms.

On Earth, dust particles are viewed mainly in terms of their physical effects, like erosion. But, in exotic locales from Mars to Venus to Jupiters icy moon Europa, electrical effects can affect the chemical composition of a planetary bodys surface and atmosphere in a relatively short time, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

This direction of scientific investigation has been largely overlooked in the past, said Alian Wang, research professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences. Researchers are used to thinking inside the box based on terrestrial experience.

Wangs study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets focuses on amorphous sulfur and chlorine salts found by the Curiosity rover at Gale crater on Mars. The chemical signature of these materials could have been induced by electrochemical processes during Martian dust activities in a relatively short geologic time frame: years to hundreds of years.

Low-strength electrostatic discharge causes electrochemical reactions that transform materials on the Martian surface, Wang explained, causing loss of crystallinity, removal of structural water and oxidation of certain elements like sulfur, chlorine and iron.

The collective chemical effect of electrostatic discharge can be significant, Wang said. This is the core idea of our new study.

The findings could inform science priorities for the next phase of Mars exploration missions, including NASAs Perseverance rover, China National Space Administrations Tianwen-1 lander and rover, and the European Space Agencys ExoMars lander and rover.

Explore the subsurface is the suggestion that we would give to the next phase of Mars exploration missions, said Bradley Jolliff, the Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and a co-author on the paper.

These missions are all seeking evidence for geological and hydrological evolution at their selected landing sites, and they are especially looking for and hoping to collect samples that contain traces of past biological activity, Jolliff said. Exploring the subsurface would enable sampling of ancient materials some of which might still be safekeeping precious biomarkers.

Read more on the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences website.

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Powerful electrical events quickly alter surface chemistry on Mars and other planetary bodies - Newswise

Diversified Chemical’s George Hill on finding the right chemistry – Crain’s Detroit Business

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CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS: You started the company in the back of your house, right, around 1970? How did that come about?

GEORGE HILL: Well, this is one of those believe-it-or-not kind of situations. I was working at Chrysler Corp. at the time. The director of government affairs ... got ill and he was supposed to be representing Chrysler at a (Small Business Administration) conference and ... he called me up and said, 'George, you've been around for a while ... I want you to stand in for me.' This is a true story. So, I went to the conference.

I wandered about and wandered into this one particular event and you had to sign in, not knowing that my signage was going to end up being a data point to the people who were in that group who were interested in contracts. A few weeks later I started getting these government bids in the mail. I went to this friend of mine who was kind of in that business, knew something about it. He said, 'Look, why don't we see if we can't make some money on the side.' We did it, and we got the bid. We got several more and he said, 'See how easy it is to make money in this chemical business?' That became kind of a side job ... and bingo. Here we are.

So in 1968 you were on a CBS affiliate in Detroit hosting the show "Job Opportunity Line," the first Black person on regularly scheduled TV in the area. Can you talk about how that came about?

Well, what happened is that after the ('67 uprising) of course there was a great deal of interest, as there is now, in what's going on in the Black community ... and everyone was trying to figure out what could be done to improve conditions in the community and to get a better peek into the world of African Americans. A friend of mine ... had been talking to CBS without my knowledge. He'd kind of thrown my hat into the ring. He called me and said, 'George, I've done this and I wonder if you'd take the time to talk to these folks.' So I went out and talked to them and much to my surprise, they wanted me to do it. I was the interviewer, we talked about jobs, education, things in the community. I was interviewing people who had companies, I was interviewing university professors about training ... It was really odd. It came out on Sunday mornings this is kind of funny. When I first started the business, you know, there was a period in which you're gearing up to do your manufacturing and on one point in time I would be in people's living rooms and bedrooms (doing interviews) and then on Monday I'd be out calling on small businesses and we'd be going in to (do cleaning work). They'd look at me and say, 'Didn't I see you on TV yesterday morning? ... Come on, come on to my office, we'll talk.' ... That might be the secret sauce to the beginnings of the company's small successes.

How did the company develop over time, then?

We started off doing simple things. (Chemicals to) clean the floor, clean the toilets, that kind of stuff. We had a small plant up on Woodrow Wilson. We were selling things primarily in gallons and drums, that kind of stuff. As we grew and had our own chemists, we recognized the formulations that were being used to clean X would be the same basic formulations to clean Y. Then, in the manufacturing plants, once a part is machined, it has to be cleaned before it can be welded or assembled or anything else, and they'd been cleaning all these things with ... very high caustic solutions and high heat, and the energy costs were just enormous. Well, as we got more chemists and had more sophistication ... we started innovating in terms of the things we could do in our plants and laboratories here that would mimic and replicate what was going on in our customers' plants. We developed a variety of very innovative products that really saved a lot of money and did a great deal of cleaning without the dangers of the caustic being heated up.

Can you give us an idea of the size of the company?

In terms of revenue we're in the $75 million-$100 million range. We will be in the neighborhood of $80 million probably in 2021. We have about 90 employees.

You guys put emphasis on hiring Detroit residents, right?

We always do. There was a lot more talent and confidence, particularly in the Black community, than people suspected. I mean this is an extraordinary city. We felt there was a lot here to tap into (as a Black middle class and education and homeownership grew with the automotive industry) ... so we really felt as though, given my personal philosophy that people really drive your success, people who are talented, committed, skilled, passionate ... so Detroit itself was just the perfect spot. We grew on a national basis and even built a plant in Germany and in South Korea at one time ... We've been a much bigger company, by the way, we've sold off divisions. In the downturn of the '80s we sold off a $25 million-$30 million division. But the basis for all that (expansion) was the people who were here and the educational base that was here and industries that were here.

Anything new going on?

We are licensed to manufacture, and the only licensee in the country, to manufacture a product called Envirocleanse, which is a water-based disinfectant that kills the virus that leads to COVID-19. (We got the license) within the last six-seven months.

Right now we're looking at this pandemic-induced downturn. What do you think needs to be done in Detroit to help the city and Detroiters during this time?

I've got a philosophy that the answer to the regeneration of urban areas and the regeneration of the economy would be a marriage between corporate America and small business, particularly small business that's diverse. Black, Hispanic, et cetera. As we look at the relationship we've got with some of our partners for instance, Henkel (Adhesive Technologies). Henkel is engaged with us on the community level ... Henkel has joined with us (on an educational and mentorship program called Math Corps) and (companies like Henkel) want to do something that makes a difference. So my answer to what has to be done is bringing resources ... into our community and that those resources make an investment in people, who are the businesses, in order to make sure we have a future that is always in jeopardy if we are not always developing the skills to make us first ... I'm going to sound very critical when I say this. Our level of science competency and engineering competency, we are no longer leaders of the world in those areas. We should be. We need to come together in a way that we start recognizing this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Hear the entire interview on crainsdetroit.com/theConversation

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Diversified Chemical's George Hill on finding the right chemistry - Crain's Detroit Business

What a grand chemistry experiment reveals about Brexit – The Economist

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Dec 12th 2020

SHERBURN IN ELMET

ANDREW CLARKE closely guards his recipe for yolk-coloured ink, known in the trade as a yellow 13. But the process is simple enough. Powdery pigment is mixed with solvent, varnish and thickener, many of the supplies imported from abroad, and then milled between steel rollers into a glossy syrup. His factory in Yorkshire specialises in bespoke orders for coatings used to make food cartons, magazines and circuit boards. His small laboratory is lined with pots of resins and wetting agents, and machines that measure the fineness and viscosity of his creations.

Brexit, which comes into full effect on January 1st, worries Mr Clarke. The European chemicals market is fragmenting. He fears the substances that give his coatings their distinctive qualities may slowly disappear from sale in Britain, leaving him reliant on inferior substitutes. If we are trying to sell to Europe, we might be offering our best stuff, but an EU competitor could come in using the state-of-the-art raw material, which in our customers eyes is significantly better, he says.

The future of the British chemicals industry is Brexit in microcosm. Boris Johnson wants a trade deal that eliminates all tariffs on goods, including chemicals. Yet even if he gets this, it will do little to soothe the headaches that arise from leaving the single market. A project that promised to throw off the EUs system of regulation will instead replicate it in miniature, creating a Brussels-on-Thames. Chemical firms, foreign airlines, lawyers and internet companiesall will face new burdens if they wish to keep doing business in Britain.

At root is a grand misunderstanding. Brexiteers often think of the EUs single market as a mere rule book. Thus, they suggest, Britain simply needs to copy those rules into domestic law, and then tweak them at leisure. But the single market is better thought of as an ecosystem: an elaborate regime of registration, surveillance and enforcement. Goods and services percolate freely across national borders because governments can rely on Brussels to keep watch for unwanted adulterations.

Reach, the bit of the single market governing chemicals, is especially strict. Firms selling into Europe must submit lengthy dossiers detailing how their products were made, and appoint an agent on European soil, who can be collared if things go wrong. The system is overseen by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki, which has 600 staff and a budget of more than 100m ($120m). The enforcement is done by a network of national agencies, such as Britains Health and Safety Executive (HSE), based in Liverpool. The result is a free-flowing pool of 23,000 chemicals for Mr Clarke and his continental rivals to choose from, underpinned by a vast database of safety information which regulators can scour for risks.

Theresa May, Mr Johnsons predecessor, asked to stay in Reach, having been convinced there was little to gain from divergence. But this was rejected by the EU, who called it cherry-picking. So Britain will try to replicate the regime at home, under the title of UK Reach. The names of chemicals originally registered by British companies will be copied into domestic law. The HSE will take on the ECHAs job, funded by fees on users. European companies will need a legal footprint to trade in Britain, and British companies vice versa.

The most difficult task will be replicating the ECHAs database. Ministers at first insisted they could simply copy-and-paste it. They could not: it is stuffed with commercially-sensitive intellectual property, and there is little incentive to give a departing state a leg-up. The EU has so far rebuffed Britains request for a chemicals data-sharing clause in the trade deal.

Instead, the government will require Mr Clarkes suppliers to submit the data themselves. But many dossiers were produced by consortia of companies, and there is little reason for a French firm to bail out a British rival. BASF, a big German chemicals firm, reckons registering with UK Reach will cost them 70m ($90m). Small British distributors whose continental suppliers file paperwork under the EU system may find themselves designated importers. One boss calculates a bill of 1m in registration fees if he has to lodge all the substances he imports, on an annual turnover of 15m: Wed be bankrupt in a week.

George Eustice, the environment secretary, now admits some firms may find the task both expensive and time-consuming, and this summer delayed the timetable for lodging dossiers for some products from 2023 to 2027. But more time does not help much, says Peter Newport of the Chemicals Business Association. Its a change from a guillotined beheading to a death by a thousand cuts over a six-year timescale, he sighs.

There are two scenarios for how this will play out. One is that ministers push on with UK Reach, and substances are pulled from the British market as manufacturers conclude that registration costs make low-volume products unviable. The so-called salt-and-pepper additives used in tiny quantities in paints are particularly vulnerable. The flow going the other way is already shrinking. Only 70% of the British firms that registered chemicals with the ECHA before Brexit have started transferring their dossiers to new legal entities in Europe, the regulator notes. Well become very insular, and theyll become equally self-absorbed, says Mr Clarke. As a result, Britain would be a less attractive place to open an assembly line.

The second scenario is that UK Reach founders. The deadlines could be pushed back further, or the new rules left unenforced. With an empty database, says Michael Warhurst of CHEM Trust, an environmental charity, the regulator in Liverpool would be less able than the one in Helsinki to spot hazards, or to defend its decisions against deep-pocketed companies in court.

The promise of Brexit was that Britain would be the master of its own regulation, acting more nimbly or stringently than the EU if it wished. But the outcome Mr Warhurst fears would not be deregulation by design, but one forced upon ministers because their ambitions to match European standards have failed. A big market means Brussels can afford to be strict in its regulation. Britain will learn that it cannot.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Fade to grey"

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What a grand chemistry experiment reveals about Brexit - The Economist

Virtual Classroom Series: Teaching High School Chemistry Without Hands-On Experiments – WUWM

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WUWM's Emily Files visits the virtual classroom of a Milwaukee high school chemistry teacher.

Many schools in Milwaukee have spent the entire first half of the school year online, as a precaution against the coronavirus. WUWM has been visiting virtual classrooms to see how teachers are adapting.

McKenzie King, a chemistry teacher at Carmen Southeast High School in Milwaukee, says some learning experiences are impossible to recreate virtually. Right now, shes teaching her students about chemical compounds. Its usually one of her favorite units.

In the classroom, we just like throw out 16 various substances and kids are moving around the classroom and trying to test them and notice different patterns, King says. So theyll melt them and see what temperature it melts at, or dissolve them in water, conduct electricity.

Hands-on labs normally make up the bulk of Kings chemistry class. But she cant do that when students are learning from home.

The whole point of chemistry, and science in general, is applying it to the real world. But now were cut off from the real world, King says. Its just one of those things, at the end of day its not going to be as successful. Kids might not be able to answer Why? Why are we doing this? Because its not as impactful.

In one recent Zoom class with her sixth period tenth graders, King was teaching about the properties of sugar and salt.

Right now we just want to see can sugar, when its dissolved in water, conduct electricity? Can salt? And can water just do it by itself?" she asks.

Since they cant do in-person experiments, King uses a virtual simulation, where you can click a picture of sugar or salt, add to water, and see if it conducts electricity.

Alright so were putting the connectivity meter in ta da! The salt water does conduct electricity, lighting up a light bulb in the computer simulation.

Whoa! Is that light bulb on? Jennifer Bennett, a paraprofessional and Kings teaching partner, responds.

The students react too, but in the Zoom chat box. For most of the class, her students keep their microphones muted and cameras off. King says, it does feel demoralizing sometimes to look at all the black boxes.

We had more cameras at the beginning of school, King says. I think kids being kids, theyre testing out what theyre comfortable with. And if the majority of people have their cameras off, theyre not going to opt into doing that.

But, King says, you have to pick your battles. And she doesnt want to goad her students into keeping their cameras on when they are participating in other ways.

You have to frame, whats a realistic expectation or whats a win? King says. If 20 out of 23 students are responding in the chat frequently throughout the entire class, thats a win. Theyre there, theyre learning. Do I prefer to know what they look like? Absolutely.

You can tell that King and Bennett are building relationships with students despite the limitations of the chat box. During one class, King asks students silly questions while theyre waiting for others to finish their work.

If you saw Ms. Bennett in the grocery store, do you say hello or do you just dip? King asks. Some of the students jokingly respond that they would ignore Bennett if they saw her in public.

Im not really a science fan, but I can say that chemistry isnt bad, says Karla, a sophomore at Carmen and one of Kings students. Actually Ms. King and Ms. Bennett make it fun, thats why I like chemistry.

Karla says online learning is stressful sometimes because she has three younger siblings also in virtual school who she helps. Im kinda tired of being at home all day, doing nothing other than school, she says.

That feeling is shared by teachers.

The weight of virtual learning, I feel like, is a little more draining because the joys of in-person learning are not truly present, King says. You have to look for them and reframe them just like your teaching. So if I felt tired in-person, I definitely feel fatigued right now.

King says, she still likes her job but its because the fulfillment of working with students outweighs the many challenges of virtual teaching.

Have a question about education you'd like WUWM's Emily Files to dig into? Submit it below.

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High school student left in tears after chemistry final goes wrong: ‘This panic is unlike any other’ – Yahoo News

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National Review

Hunter Biden reportedly pushed CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming to quickly wire $10 million to properly fund and operate a Biden joint venture with the Chinese energy company in 2017, and sent his best wishes from the entire Biden family to the chairman, according to a new report.In a June 18, 2017 email obtained by Fox News, Biden requested the transfer, which was never completed, and asked Zhao Runlong at CEFC to please "translate my letter to Chairman Ye, please extend my warmest best wishes and that I hope to see the Chairman soon.""I hope my letter finds you well. I regret missing you on your last visit to the United States," Hunter Biden wrote in the attached letter, dated June 17, 2017. "Please accept the best wishes from the entire Biden family as well as my partners.""We are all hoping to see you here again soon, or in Shanghai, he continued.Biden added that they had concluded the establishment of Sinohawk Holdings, the joint venture between the Bidens and CEFC, and that Tony Bobulinski, a very close friend of James Gilliar and the Biden family would act as the CEO."He has invested capital all over the world for some of the worlds wealthiest families, Biden wrote of Bobulinski.Biden wrote that Bobulinski had "sent a request to Dong Gongwen [Gongwen Dong] and Director Zang for the funding of the $10 MM USD wire.""I would appreciate if you will send that quickly so we can properly fund and operate Sinohawk," Biden wrote."I am sure you have been well briefed by our dear friend Director Zang on the political and economic connections we have established in countries where you are interested in expanding during the coming months and years," he said. "I look forward to our next meeting."Ye Jianming and Gongwen Dong were linked to the Chinese Communist government and the Peoples Liberation Army, according to a September report by the Senate Homeland Security Committee and Senate Finance Committee on its investigation into Hunter Bidens foreign business dealings."Those associations resulted in millions of dollars in questionable transactions/cash flow," the report stated.More than a dozen text messages between Bobulinski, Biden business associates, and Chinese representatives of CEFC from June 25, 2017 to mid-July 2017 show that the $10 million transfer was delayed for weeks, potentially due to visa issues."Just got off the phone with Zaho[sp], Still dealing with Visa issues, they still havent filled out proper paperwork submissions, re entry. Still want my personal advise," President-elect Joe Bidens brother Jim Biden reportedly wrote in an email to Bobulinski on July 10, 2017.A July 18, 2017 message shows Bobulinski asking Zhao whether the transfer would be "$10 MM or 2x $5MM," claiming they "asked that $10 MM be sent in 2 $5 MM tranches but @ the same time, $5 MM to savings and $5 MM to checking. That is what we prefer."The transfer was never completed, though the Senate report shows that the CEFC wired nearly $5 million to the bank account for Hudson West III, a firm that Hunter Biden opened with Chinese associates, less than one month later"These funds may have originated from a loan issued from the account of a company called Northern International Capital Holdings, a Hong Kong-based investment company identified at one time as a substantial shareholder in CEFC International Limited along with Ye," the report said. "It is unclear whether Hunter Biden was a half-owner of Hudson West III at the time."The report adds, "the same day the $5 million was received, and continuing through Sept. 25, 2018, Hudson West III sent request payments to Owasco, Hunter Bidens firm." The payments were described as consulting fees and reached "$4,790,375.25 in just over a year, according to the report.Another email to the general manager of the House of Sweden shows Hunter Biden asking for keys for his new "office mates," his father, Joe Biden, Jill Biden and Jim Biden at the Washington, D.C. building that houses multiple office suites and a number of embassies.Biden also requested keys for Gongwen Dong, whom he calls an "emissary" for Chairman Ye Jianming.He issued directions for the lease to remain under the name of his company, Rosemont Seneca, but for the office sign to say "The Biden Foundation" and "Hudson West (CEFC US)."A source told Fox News that the Biden Foundation used another office space at the time and there was no relation to the office space within the House of Sweden.The report comes after Biden last week confirmed he was under federal investigation for his tax affairs.Last week Hunter Biden said in a statement that he had learned for the first time that the U.S. Attorneys Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel of an investigation into his tax affairs.I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors, he said.President-elect Biden on Wednesday said he is confident Hunter Biden did nothing wrong when asked by Fox News Peter Doocy about the investigation.Joe Bidens tax documents and returns, which were previously released by his campaign, do not show any involvement with Chinese investments.

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High school student left in tears after chemistry final goes wrong: 'This panic is unlike any other' - Yahoo News

Steph Curry On Finding Chemistry With New Teammates: ‘It Will Come’ – RealGM.com

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Steph Curry admitted that it will take time to find chemistry with his new Golden State Warriors teammates following their opening preseason game on Saturday night.

"Honestly, I don't know because I've had a solid, consistent core. I think from Monday to now we're starting to talk about some of the patterns and some of the things that I'm used to, especially if I give up the ball.

"And knowing where open spots on the floor are. It will come. I don't know what the specific answer to the question is, but it will come. ... It's just one of those things where you have to continue to communicate," said Curry.

Curry had 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field.

Steve Kerr added that the new Warriors will have to get used to Curry's unique style.

"I think with most players who come in, they're not used to the second half of the possession. They're sort of used to whatever the pattern is in the beginning. But as soon as maybe Steph gives up the ball, that's when the action really starts the way we play. And that's the tricky part for guys to figure out."

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Steph Curry On Finding Chemistry With New Teammates: 'It Will Come' - RealGM.com

Seth Curry already seeing Sixers’ chemistry come together in practice – Sixers Wire

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The Philadelphia 76ers are a brand new team and they have to work through a lot of changes in a short amount of time before the 2020-21 season. They have a brand new supporting cast around their star duo and brand new coaching staff.

The team only has a few weeks to get everything sorted out before the season begins on Dec. 23 against the Washington Wizards. Considering the team had a normal offseason in 2019 after they made plenty of changes to the roster and they had chemistry issues, one could be concerned about this current group.

However, there does not appear to be those same issues as the team moves forward.

You got a good group of guys who like each other, said Seth Curry, one of those new additions. That goes a long way on the floor as far as enjoying being around each other in the gym. I think were appreciating a little bit more actually being in the gym after that long layoff earlier in the year. Obviously, with COVID and all that, guys arent taking practices for granted, I know Im not.

Coach Doc Rivers noticed a different spirit in the gym on Sunday as the team prepares to get preseason going on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics. That is a good thing to hear for a very talented team that only has so much time to figure it all out.

It was great practice, said Rivers. I thought maybe one of our better ones, great energy. Guys are starting to get it. Were a long way away from that. Both ends of the floor, just a lot of good energy.

Chemistry is such an underrated and important aspect for any basketball team. It is important that these guys come together and establish some type of connection as it will make things that much easier when it comes to playing on the floor.

Im enjoying coming in and being around the fellas and working on our games, Curry added. I think we also got a good group of vets here that are wishing the younger guys and playing their role so its an exciting time for all of us.

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Seth Curry already seeing Sixers' chemistry come together in practice - Sixers Wire

Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation and Greentown Labs Launch the KAITEKI Challenge, Reimagining Proteins, Plastics, and Packaging – PRNewswire

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SOMERVILLE, Mass., Nov. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, and Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC), a global leader in chemicals and healthcare, are now accepting applications for the KAITEKI Challenge, the latest iteration of the Greentown Launch corporate partnership accelerator program. Greentown Labs and MCHC seek novel technologies in alternative proteins, waste plastics recycling, and the prevention of food loss and waste that will promote sustainable consumption in daily life. The KAITEKI Challenge will offer selected startups an opportunity to pursue paid proof of concept collaborations with MCHC and to explore long-term partnerships, licensing agreements, and investment from MCHC's corporate venture capital arm, Diamond Edge Ventures (DEV).

This corporate partnership accelerator program is rooted in MCHC's original management concept of "KAITEKI," which aims to achieve the sustainable well-being of people, society, and planet Earth. MCHC's businesses include bioplastics, plastic films and sheets, food ingredients, and healthcare, among many others. This challenge will prioritize innovations that enable circularity across proteins, plastics, and packaging value chains.

Benefits to startups selected for the KAITEKI Challenge include the following:

"The creation of a sustainable future is a core value of the MCHC Group and is embodied in our KAITEKI management philosophy. We believe that reimagining proteins, plastics, and packaging will move us toward a circular economy and a brighter future for our planet. And we know from experience the power of partnerships between innovative startups and the MCHC Group. We are excited to build on our collaboration with Greentown Labs and the global startup community through the KAITEKI Challenge," said Larry Meixner, Chief Innovation Officer and CTO of MCHC.

The KAITEKI Challenge is for startups in the alternative protein and waste recycling industries with solutions beyond proof of concept and a technology readiness level of three or above. For startups in the prevention of food loss and waste, the challenge is accepting applications for solutions with a technology readiness level of five or above and a product ready for sample testing.

"Research shows that building a more sustainable food system and creating more sustainable packaging are two areas that could have an enormous impact on our mission to address climate change, protect the environment, and provide equitable access to resources for all," said Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs. "The KAITEKI Challenge aims to support innovations that will not only tackle these problems and improve our daily lives, but also have applications on a global scale. We're proud to partner with MCHC on a challenge that's focused on these important industries and excited to support more climatetech startups!"

Applications for the KAITEKI Challenge are due by February 10, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Interested entrepreneurs can learn more about the call for applications by visiting the program website. Applicants may apply from anywhere in the world. Selected participants are expected to participate in all challenge events, either virtually or in-person at Greentown Labs' headquarters in Somerville, Mass., USA.

About Greentown Labs As the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs brings together startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and many others with a focus on scaling climate solutions. Driven by the mission of providing ground-breaking startups the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive, Greentown Labs offers prototyping and wet lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, an electronics lab, software and business resources, a large network of corporate customers and investors, and more. Greentown Labs is home to more than 100 startups and has supported more than 300 startups since the incubator's founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 6,500 direct jobs and have raised more than $1 billion in funding. Greentown's second-ever location will open in Houston, TX, in spring 2021. For more information, please visit http://www.greentownlabs.com or Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation conducts its corporate activities and businesses worldwide in the domains of Performance Products, Industrial Materials, and Health Care based on the core values of "Sustainability," "Health," and "Comfort." The company builds stakeholder value while contributing to the sustainable well-being of people, society and our planet Earth. For more information, visit https://www.mitsubishichem-hd.co.jp/english.

Greentown Labs Media Contact Julia Travaglini VP of Marketing + Communications[emailprotected]603-867-3657

Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation Media Contact [emailprotected]

SOURCE Greentown Labs

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Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation and Greentown Labs Launch the KAITEKI Challenge, Reimagining Proteins, Plastics, and Packaging - PRNewswire

Pharmaceutical impurities: Combatting pharma’s elusive threat | Sponsored – Chemistry World

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Even in small quantities, pharmaceutical impurities can influence the behaviour and efficacy of a drug, which directly or indirectly jeopardises the safety of patients. One research group found 71 out of 222 (32%) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved novel therapeutics were impacted by safety concerns designatedpost market safety events between 2001 and 2010. There were three withdrawals, 61 boxed warnings and 59 safety communications, said the 2017 investigation.

Product recall due to the detection of impurities, or other safety reasons, can have major consequences for both consumers and pharmaceutical companies. Revenue losses and fines are a risk but the publics perception of the industry is also at stake. When the FDA reported that various angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) containing the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) valsartan were found to contain N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine(NDEA)impurities, the potential hazards became clear.

The formers carcinogenic properties were first reported in 1956, the latters in 1967. Like the wider nitrosamine family, they were classified probably human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Despite there being traces in small quantities in food, the presence of nitrosamines in ARBs (used to treat hypertension, heart failure and kidney disease) caused widespread alarm.

Product recalls can have major consequences for both consumers and pharmaceutical companies

Subsequent voluntary recalls affected multiple therapeutics including ARB batches containing valsartan, losartan and irbesartan and has impacted other drugs in the years since. In April 2020, the FDA called for immediate withdrawal of all ranitidine (Zantac) products from the market, and voluntary recalls of diabetes medication metformin are currently ongoing.

Legislative failure compounded pharmaceutical contamination by NDMA. Many of the therapeutics implicated were generic, as are 90% of medications prescribed in the US. A market flooded with products from multiple manufacturers becomes harder to monitor, especially when that market is globalised. According to the FDA, just 28% of API manufacturing facilities for all US-sold drugs were located in the USA in 2019. Nearly one fifth were in India and 13% in China double that of 2010.

2019 also marked a decline in the number of FDA inspections overseas with just 125 FDA inspections within China 11% less than 2018 and 24% less than 2017 a Bloomberg investigation showed. Since recalls impact products from large generic drug manufacturers globally, inspection regimes must be rigorous and ongoing testing by producers is crucial to protect consumers. Understanding how impurities form is vital to prevent them entering a final drug product. By accurately monitoring and preventing their formation, drugs with potentially harmful impurities will not reach the market. Impurities can arise at any stage of the drug formulation pipeline. Environmental factors like temperature or humidity can cause them as well as contamination from equipment, dosage form or drug degradation.

Organic impurities fall into a number of categories. They can be degradants of the drug API or starting materials, unintended by-products of the manufacturing process or untransformed production intermediates. An API failing to separate from other materials involved in its synthesis such as unreacted starting materials or intermediates is one such instance. Impurities also occur when the by-products formed during synthesis do not completely separate from the active compound.

Instability in pharmaceuticals can also cause organic impurities to develop through API degradation over time. The FDAs ranitidine recall for example, hinged on mounting evidence of a heat-unstable API.

Organic impurities are known to be harmful to human health, making strict limits on their presence in drug substances necessary

Many organic impurities, like nitrosamines, are known to be harmful to human health and regulatory bodies and government set strict limits on their presence in drug substances. If thresholds are exceeded, qualification of the impurities can be necessary, resulting in costly toxicity studies. Robust quality assurance is the best defence against contamination by organic impurities, with regular testing of multiple product batches. The use of reference standardsprovides further safeguard.

Inorganic impurities, like reagents, ligands, catalysts, inorganic salts and heavy metals used in vessels, filters and machinery, are easier to prevent and control. Using demineralised water and glass-lined vessels, and carefully monitoring each stage of the production process constitutes good practice.

Solvents used in the manufacture of a drug compound can be difficult to fully remove, meaning residues remain on the product. Solvents are therefore categorised according to their risk to human health, with strict limits set for safe daily exposure. Only the safest are approved for use in drug formulations and they require testing regimes to ensure continued consumer safety.

Depending on the complexity of the compounds and the purity requirements in question different combinations of techniques can be used

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection determines impurities for most pharmaceuticals. Quantitation can be performed versus an external standard of the impurity itself or by comparison to the response of the API. Depending on the complexity of the compounds and the purity requirements in question different combinations of techniques can be used.

Regardless of the pathway pursued, pure independently synthesised impurity samples help verify structure. Matching the spectral and chromatographic profile of a detected impurity with those of a pure known reference provides a necessary benchmark. And having a sufficient amount of an impurity allows it to be studied further, allowing full understanding of its toxicological effect and formation mechanism. It is these practices that underpin impurity threshold safety.

At LGC, our TRC portfolio of pharmaceutical impurity standards supports drug development, medical and biomedical research professionals in more than 140 countries.

Our team of over 250 highly skilled chemists specialises in designing optimal synthetic routes for both new and known compounds, from impurities to customised chemical compounds and rare organics.

The challenges surrounding pharmaceutical impurity analysis can be seen in the complex synthesis of theepoxy pyrrolooxazin tricylic (EPT) potassium salt impurityin atorvastatin.

This tricyclic impurity is a photodegradation product of atorvastatin a selective, competitive HMG-CoA reductase sold under the brand name Lipitor. It is the only drug in its class specifically indicated for lowering both elevated LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

TheEPTsalt impurity (A791895) is a photodegradation production of atorvastatin that can cause adverse effects in users of the drug. As such, it is included in the mandatory list of impurities for which any drug manufacturer must test before they submit a new drug application.

Of all the impurities associated with the photodegradation of atorvastatin, EPT potassium salt is arguably one of the most difficult to prepare. To date, no synthesis has been reported in literature, making it difficult to obtain for use as a standard. We were contacted by a researcher who required EPT potassium salt, but was unable to find the molecule at a purity level appropriate for their analytical needs. We were tasked with developing a synthesis at the required purity which allowed isolation in quantity.

Despite its apparent complexity, the product was prepared in two steps from an advanced atorvastatin bicyclic impurity. However, the highly strained tricyclic molecule was susceptible to both heat and protic solvents (it
slowly degraded even at 0C),limiting our options both in terms of purification methods and reagents to effect the steps of the synthesis.

An alternate ether solution proved to be the optimal reagent to generate the desired K+ impurity from the methyl ester intermediate. Again, because of the limited stability of A791895 in a suitable solvent for NMR analysis, the structure of the impurity was verified indirectly via the ester precursor.

A 2D-NMR study provided the essential information, allowing research labs to gain access to a supply of the EPT potassium salt at the appropriate purity level.

TRC is proud to support this vital research and safeguard the quality of therapeutics and wellbeing of consumers worldwide.What our teams do facilitates science for a safer world.

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Pharmaceutical impurities: Combatting pharma's elusive threat | Sponsored - Chemistry World

Additive mixture speeds up process for making combustible ice – Chemistry World

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Singapore-based scientists have discovered a way to rapidly form methane hydrates at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperature by combining the additive 1,3-dioxolane with an amino acid. This mixture is significantly less toxic than traditional additives and results in the fastest reaction time ever reported to produce hydrates for stable methane storage.

Current industrial methods for storing methane have their limitations. Liquefied natural gas requires extremely low temperatures (163C). Meanwhile compressed natural gas poses a safety risk and requires expensive storage tanks. However, solidified natural gas, such as gas hydrates, is a compact way for storing natural gas under moderate pressures and temperatures, and uses water as the main raw material (>94%).

Gas hydrates are crystalline inclusion compounds where gas molecules are trapped inside host cages made up of water molecules. Nature has been storing methane as gas hydrates for millions of years and these structures represent a significant source of the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. To the naked eye, methane hydrates present themselves simply as ice or snow, explains Praveen Linga from the National University of Singapore. Methane hydrate formation is a simple physical phase change process and gas hydrates melt the same way as ice, releasing the stored gas and water, earning it the name combustible ice.

Commercial applications of gas hydrates are limited by problems in forming the hydrates at a fast enough rate, and ensuring their prolonged storage stability. Now, Praveen and his co-workers have found that adding a small concentration of l-tryptophan, along with the thermodynamic and kinetic promoter 1,3-dioxolane, results in ultra-rapid hydrate formation.

l-tryptophan is a benign and hydrophobic amino acid, which functions here as a kinetic promoter. It increases the porosity and flexibility of the hydrate crystals and opens up pathways within the crystal microstructure. This facilitates greater methanewater contact and allows faster methane diffusion into the solid phase.

Adding l-tryptophan caused a 147% increase in the hydrate rate of formation compared to a water1,3-dioxolane system. The team also discovered that the hydrate pellet exhibited incredible stability when stored at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 5C. Moreover, their additive mixture is also less toxic than traditional additives such as tetrahydrofuran, which is both volatile and carcinogenic.

Carolyn Koh, director of the Center for Hydrate Research at the Colorado School of Mines, US, calls the research an impressive advance. The ability to rapidly form methane hydrates at lower pressure conditions and under mild refrigeration are necessary requirements, and when coupled with optimised and reduced promoter concentration, will be important for practical applications of gas hydrates.

Jeong-Hoon Sa, a gas hydrate researcher at Dong-a University in South Korea, says the practical use of hydrates has been hindered by their insufficient formation rate and long-term stability. It is remarkable that the produced hydrates can retain natural gas only at 268.15K under atmospheric pressure for eight days. The next pilot-scale testing will further advance industrial applicability of the solidified natural gas technology process.

We firmly believe that this is the first solidified natural gas technology process developed that can genuinely boast feasibility for commercial adoption, says Praveen. He says the team now plan to enhance the volumetric gas storage capacity of the combustible ice by tuning the additive concentrations and designing new reactors.

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Additive mixture speeds up process for making combustible ice - Chemistry World

Maryville volleyball relies on chemistry in long-awaited state run – News-Press Now

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For the first time in a decade, the Maryville High School volleyball team is off to compete in the state semifinals.

The Spoofhounds (19-2) hit the road Wednesday to Cape Girardeau for the Class 3 State Tournament at Southeast Missouri State University.

Were very grateful for this opportunity, Maryville senior Serena Sundell said. I think we have a really special group of girls here and for us to be able to have this chance to go to state and continue our season, its really exciting.

The last time Maryville made it to the states final four was in the 2009-2010 season when the team went on to clinch 4th place in Class 2.

Now, the Spoofhounds face Hermann (24-6-3), a team they have never competed against according to MSHSAA records which date back to 2005.

I just try not to go into really any concrete expectations and to just focus on the things that have gotten us here and the successes that weve had up until this point, Maryville head coach Mirana Mizera said. We go in with a scouting report and we go in with goals and just keep them focused on those things and take it one point at a time.

The Spoofhounds enter the contest coming off a big win over Pleasant Hill in the quarterfinals, defeating the team that they fell to in the 2019 sectional round.

I think our sectional game last year when we didnt take care of that first one, that kind of sunk in and its been sticking with us this whole season. So every practice, we just remember that feeling, Sundell said. We had to dig in and give it everything we got to be where we are now.

As the team inches closer toward the chance to compete for a state championship, the Spoofhounds believe their chemistry has helped carry them this far.

Ive been saying it all year long, but I think its really due to their chemistry and just the camaraderie of the team and how theyre able to play so well together, Mizera said. Theyre just a bunch of goofballs. They love to have fun. They know how to add comedy to any scenario.

Sundell added, Were all just very comfortable with each other. Since weve all been playing together for a long, long time, especially the sophomores, theyve known all of us for awhile. Weve been playing in middle school for awhile. So just the relationships are really helping us compete in games and be successful.

Maryville takes on Hermann at 9 a.m. Thursday at Southeast Missouri State Universitys Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

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Maryville volleyball relies on chemistry in long-awaited state run - News-Press Now

Production Chemical Market Aims to Expand at Double Digit Growth Rate | BASF SE, Baker Hughes, Huntsman International LLC, NALCO India – re:Jerusalem

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Rising production of crude oil across the globe, growing development as well as production form established fields, increasing need of highly advanced drilling fluids, enhancement of ultra-deep water drilling projects are some of the factors that will likely to accelerate the growth of the production chemical market in the forecast period of 2020-2027. On the other hand, growing number of service producers along with prevalence of ecological oilfield chemicals will further boost various opportunities that will lead to the growth of the production chemical market in the above mentioned forecast period.

Latest published market study on Global Production Chemical Market Size, Share, Industry Report with + data Tables, Pie Chart, high level qualitative chapters & Graphs is available now to provide complete assessment of the Market highlighting evolving trends, Measures taken up by players, current-to-future scenario analysis and growth factors validated with Viewpoints extracted via Industry experts and Consultants. Production Chemical Market estimates rely extensively on both the volume and value and due to slowdown price fluctuation in widening demand and supply gap. The major players covered in the fitness app market report areBASF SE, Clariant, Halliburton., Ecolab, Schlumberger Limited., Akzo Nobel N.V., Baker Hughes, Croda International Plc, Dow, The Lubrizol Corporation, Stepan Company, Kemira, NALCO India., Solvay, Huntsman International LLC, Chemcon Speciality Chemicals Ltd., Universal Oil Field Chemical Pvt.Ltd, Imperial Oilfield Chemicals Private Limited, REDA Oilfield, among other.

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The Global Production Chemical market 2020 research provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global Production Chemical market Share analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed.

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This production chemical market report provides details of new recent developments, trade regulations, import export analysis, production analysis, value chain optimization, market share, impact of domestic and localised market players, analyses opportunities in terms of emerging revenue pockets, changes in market regulations, strategic market growth analysis, market size, category market growths, application niches and dominance, product approvals, product launches, geographical expansions, technological innovations in the market. To gain more info on production chemical market contact Data Bridge Market Research for an Analyst Brief, our team will help you take an informed market decision to achieve market growth.

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Production Chemical report puts light on analysis of prime manufacturers, trends, opportunities, marketing strategies analysis, market effect factor analysis and consumer needs by major regions, types, and applications globally. Production Chemical market research report performs an estimation of the growth rate and the market value based on market dynamics and growth inducing factors. Local, regional as well as global market has been considered here to conduct the research study of this Production Chemical market report. The report can be accessible to the users in the form of PDF or spreadsheet. Moreover, PPT format can also be offered depending upon clients requirement.

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Production Chemical Market Aims to Expand at Double Digit Growth Rate | BASF SE, Baker Hughes, Huntsman International LLC, NALCO India - re:Jerusalem

Romantic Chemistry Explained – What Is the Science Behind Attraction? – GoodHousekeeping.com

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Someone walks into a room, and you immediately react. Your palms sweat, your heartbeat quickens, you blush and maybe you stammer or tremble. Then, once theyve left your sight, you cant get them out of your mind. Its as if theyve cast a spell on you.

Everything about them feels right, the way they look, smell and taste, says Robert Navarra, PsyD, LMFT, MAC, Certified Gottman Therapist and Master Trainer. If this intense attraction is mutual, time seems to stand still when youre with this other person. But why? What is the chemistry of love, and why do we feel it with some people and not others?

Although the word "chemistry," referring to a romantic and sexual spark, is not official, scientific term, the phenomenon is indeed backed by science. Heres some proof: Helen Fisher, Ph.D., senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute and author of Anatomy of Love, looked at MRI results of 17 subjects who were intensely in love. When the subjects looked at photographs of their loved ones, the resulting MRI scans showed the areas of their brains associated with reward and motivation and rich in the chemical dopamine were activated. So, Dr. Fisher explains, When people say they have chemistry with someone, theyre being accurate.

If only there were a way to predict who well have chemistry with dating would be so much easier. Unfortunately, explains Justin Lehmiller, Ph.D., research fellow at the Kinsey Institute and author of Tell Me What You Want, most of us cant foresee what well find bewitching. In fact, speed-dating studies have found that people often dont pick people with the traits they'd put on their wish lists, he says.

Although a mystery, Dr. Fisher has discovered a science-backed way to at least partially understand why we have chemistry with some people rather than others. From her studies of the brain, she has found four basic styles of thinking and behaving linked with four different brain systems: the dopamine, serotonin, estrogen and testosterone. Each system is associated biologically with a constellation of personality traits, she says.

Based on data from her study of 40,000 singles research for her book, Why Him? Why Her? she found that men and women dominant in dopamine traits (including novelty- and risk-seeking, curiosity, creativity and energy) are attracted to people like themselves. The same is true for the serotonin-dominant, who tend to be cautious, traditional, rule-following and respectful of authority. In these cases, similarity attracts, Dr. Fisher says.

Meanwhile, those who are high in testosterone tend to be analytical, logical, direct, decisive, tough-minded and skeptical and more drawn to those who are dominant in the traits linked with estrogen, their opposites. Estrogen-dominant men and women tend to be imaginative, empathetic, trusting and emotionally expressive, as well as drawn to those high in testosterone, also their opposites. That said, Dr. Fisher points out that we all have traits in all four systems. Only when you see the full combination of traits in both partners can you begin to predict their compatibility, she says. (To see where you land, take Dr. Fishers free personality quiz on her website.)

Chemistry tends to be a launching pad for relationships, says Carrie Cole, M.Ed., L.P.C., research director and Gottman Master Trainer at The Gottman Institute. Chemistry opens the door, but its what we do with it afterwards that determines whether the relationship will have any legs, she says.

For relationships to progress beyond the initial intense attraction, trust and commitment must follow. Trust is knowing your partner is there for you and is someone you can count on, Dr. Navarra explains. Commitment is knowing there is no one else you would rather be with, and vice versa. Relationships typically start with chemistry, but need more to work.

Although chemistry can lead to successful relationships, it should be taken with a grain of salt, Dr. Lehmiller notes. After all, chemistry and compatibility are two different things, and sometimes the people we feel an overwhelming attraction to are not right for us long-term," she says. "People can get into trouble by rushing to commit to someone when they prioritize chemistry over shared interests and values. Instead, he says, people should try try to strike the right balance between chemistry and compatibility when looking for a long-term partner.

Chemistry with a long-term partner can fade, Dr. Lehmiller says. If it does, that doesnt mean theres a problem with your relationship. Theres also no need to panic if you experience chemistry with someone outside of your relationship, Dr. Fisher says. You can simultaneously be deeply attached to your partner, madly in love with someone else and sexually attracted to others, she explains. Thats because companionate love (for a long-term partner), romantic love and lust are orchestrated by three different brain systems, which operate in tandem.

Instead of panicking about a decline in chemistry, reinvest in your relationship by trying to rebuild that spark, Dr. Lehmiller says. To do so, focus on how you and your partner first met and what brought you together and to try to relive those initial moments. When couples tell me how they first met, they light up and turn towards each other, Cole says

Then, carve out regular rituals that encourage your connection, whether theyre weekly date nights or five-minute chats each evening to review your days, Dr. Navarra says. In fact, Dr. Lehmiller suggests spending some of this time asking each other deep questions, as with Dr. Arthur Arons 36 questions that lead to love, as published in The New York Times. Getting to know each other better on a deep level can actually help build chemistry. The more couples turn toward one another, the more theyll want to turn towards each other, Cole says.

Finally, since novelty boosts arousal, its a good idea to be adventurous with your partner; youll likely transfer some of the excitement from new experiences onto them. So, plan a date during which you learn a skill (like rock-climbing or painting), try a cuisine thats unfamiliar to you or explore a new neighborhood. The surge of dopamine youll likely experience might be just the ticket to add a spark to your long-term relationship.

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Romantic Chemistry Explained - What Is the Science Behind Attraction? - GoodHousekeeping.com

‘Instant chemistry’: The Orji brothers bond on the field is rooted in family and perspective – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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When Vanderbilt linebacker Alston Orji arrived on West End, football was certainly on his mind. After all, as a former four-star recruit, he committed to Vanderbilt in order to play in the premier athletic conference in the country, the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

But at the forefront of his decision to become a Commodore was not the tackles he may make in the black and gold or the wins that he would be a part of in Nashville. Instead, the former Rockwall High School (TX) standout pondered which of his many offers would embrace the values that he had grown up with.

It was these values that helped him perform as an Honor Roll Student at Rockwall. It was these values that taught him to dedicate himself to everything he took the time to do. It was these values that he fostered during family visits and mission trips to his parents native country, Nigeria. And it was Vanderbilt and Coach Derek Mason that he knew would not lose sight of who he was off the field.

When I first came here, I had conversations with Coach Mason a lot about becoming a better man, Alston told The Hustler. There werent a lot of head coaches out there interested in Alston the man. They were more interested in the linebacker. And while football is a lot of my identity, I really needed a coach who was going to push me to be more than just a football player.

More than just a football player. That is a phrase Alstons parents, Willy and Mariam Orji, sought to ingrain in each of their three sons, Alston, Anfernee and Alex, who is still in high school. Despite their God-given athletic abilities, despite the dozens of world-renowned universities that came knocking on their door, and despite the opportunity football may provide them, the Orji brothers were expected to work hard off the field as well.

Raising our kids, it was very important [that] it wasnt about sports, Mariam Orji told The Hustler. I told them they are smart because they are, and prior to becoming very good in sports, it was important for them to understand that they should be able to get a scholarship. And for me, it was always an academic scholarship.

Therefore, when it became time for their second son, Anfernee, to make his college decision just one year later, it was no surprise that he ended up alongside his brother at Vanderbilt, cementing the Orjis as Vanderbilt footballs next great brother duo.

I have more of a connection with him so I know what he is going to do, I know he is going to do his job, Anfernee said. Its just like second nature, every other year or every year I am playing with my brother.

But to fully appreciate this brotherly connection, one must understand the roots of the Orji boys passion for football and drive for success, roots nourished by their role-model parents and a hint of perspective.

When Anfernee was seven years old, not one member of the Orji family was familiar with football. Despite his love for athletics, even Anfernees father Willy admits that he did not know much about the game when his son was invited to try out for the Rockwall Yellow Jackets Pee Wee Football team.

He came home with his backpack as usual, and one of the other parents had put a note for us in Anfernees bag about wanting Anfernee to play in their Pee Wee league, Mariam said. And I remember reading it and talking to his dad about it and I said, What is this? because I didnt know anything about football at that point.

Willy and Mariam allowed Anfernee to try out and, quickly, Willy recognized not just the entertainment value of the game but the fundamental life lessons that came from it.

What they were doing to teach the kids things about life, not just football, interested me a lot, Willy said. So I went to learn about football myself and eventually joined the coaching staff and tried to help do whatever I had to get the kids going.

As a big and athletic seven-year-old, Anfernee quickly fell in love. The Man-Child, as his coaches began referring to him, remembers welcoming the physicality of the game and appreciating its team-oriented nature.

Being able to help other people is the reason I fell in love with it [football] and just being able to be physical. You can do stuff you cant really do outside of football, Anfernee said.

But Alston was not so quick to adopt his younger brothers love for football. Instead, as Anfernee wreaked havoc on the grass, Alston kept his nose in his books.

Alston was more of a bookworm. He would go to Anfernees practice and would take his books with him, Mariam said, laughing. He would be the only kid sitting on the sideline reading his book while the other kids are running around playing

But thanks to a slight push from his loving mother, Alston joined his brother on the field and found a similar passion for football. And much to the delight of his parents, he did not abandon his books, embracing his coaches much different nickname, The Professor.

I remember the day I told him you know what, put the books away for a second, just put them away for a second. We are going out to the field, you go play like all the other kids, Mariam said.

When the two eldest Orji boys finally took the field together, football became a true family affair, and everyone bought in. But unlike many parents, Willy and Mariam were learning alongside their sons, quickly picking up on the intricacies of the game, slowly realizing the opportunities that it may create down the road for their sons.

Alston Orji played was highly recruited as a four-star linebacker from Rockwall High School in Texas. (247Sports/Greg Powers).

It became a family affair. My wife, myself, and then the three boys all kind of got immersed in football, Willy said. I realized that God blessed them with physical abilities.

Their growth was rapid. With the intelligence to back up their incredible physical gifts, the legend of the Orji brothers quickly grew. And despite fighting over clothes and food at home like typical brothers do, Anfernee and Alston formed a special bond on the field.

I remember one time in Pee Wee, Alston said. I picked up a fumble, and I started to slip because it was rainy and muddy. And my brother actually caught me and picked me up, and we ran to the endzone together. It was just insane. We have been doing stuff like that since day one.

But just as any other talented duo of brothers, there was certainly competition between the Orji boys. As the premier players on Rockwalls defense, Alston explained how they were often pitted against each other in what Mariam explained as iron sharpening iron.

I wasnt always so aggressive, so they would have to get me angry, and the best way to get me angry was to tell me my brother was better than me, Alston said. Of course, he thought he was better than me, so we would go at it in practice, and it eventually made us better.

As they progressed through high school, the offers quickly came pouring in thanks to their stellar play at Rockwall and their high athletic ceiling. On the field, the Orji brothers were tackling machines, each racking up over 85 tackles their senior seasons en route to four-star status, according to Rivals.

With offers pouring in, the stresses of recruiting can be overwhelming. Between the phone calls, recruiting visits and constant courting, what kept both the Orjis grounded was perspective and a firm commitment to their family values.

Willy and Mariam Orji immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in 1987 and 1996 respectively, both seeking opportunity and higher education. Willy, a computer engineer, and Mariam, a doctor, met at the University of North Texas and began a fruitful life in the United States. That fruitful life was in large part thanks to the values and work ethic instilled in them by their Nigerian heritage.

As an immigrant, obviously, there were certain things about my growing up that I didnt like. But there were also certain things that I wanted to teach my kids about my heritage, Willy explained. Respect for others, respect fo
r your elders, perseverance and things like that I learned growing up.

Both Willy and Mariam were tremendous role models for their sons. But in addition to the lessons gleaned simply from their example, the Orji brothers were exposed to their family heritage through regular trips to Nigeria. At just three months old, Alston made his first journey halfway across the world, and all three Orji boys have now become incredibly familiar with the culture that shaped their parents.

But it took time for Anfernee and Alston to fully appreciate this worldly opportunity to explore Nigeria. In their youth, the nearly 24 hours it took to travel to Nigeria was overwhelming. And leaving behind McDonalds and video games during the summer was, admittedly, difficult. Even deeper was the feeling of insecurity that, at times, came with their African heritage. In a society so dominated by American culture, Alston recalls being shy about his Nigerian ancestry throughout his youth.

Growing up, African culture wasnt as widely accepted as it is today. It wasnt one of those things people were looking to experience for themselves, Alston said. I kind of ran from it myself because I felt like that would be labeled as weird, as different.

However, as they matured, they found deep respect for their Nigerian ancestors and the hard work of their parents. And one particular experience provided them reason to not only be proud of their Nigerian heritage but to also expand their connection with it.

In 2016, the Orji family traveled to Nigeria with a fellow family of talented football players and Nigerian parents, the Achos. The families conducted a mission trip to Nigeria and Alston and Anfernee were able to work side-by-side with Sam and Emmanuel Acho, former NFL players dedicated to serving the home of their ancestors.

Seeing guys who are well-accomplished doing the sport I want to do, and also Nigerian and embracing it and loving it, it made me want to love it too. And [it] made me want to idolize the way they do that, Alston said. After they kind of opened my eyes to it, it became something I wanted to really dive deep into.

Going on that mission trip, seeing NFL dudes there, its a good feeling. You know you are doing the right thing. And you can grow up, and you dont have to stop, Anfernee echoed. You can keep doing it, even when you get in the NFL.

The connections they made with their ancestry and the perspective they gained from their trips to Nigeria solidified the Orjis commitment to hard work and success and has given them a deep appreciation for what they have here in the United States.

Part of it [trips to Nigeria] is to see how, now that they are older, opportunity is so critical. They are in college because they are fortunate to have played football, Willy explained. Whereas people who are probably more talented than them back home in Nigeria do not have that opportunity, because it does not matter how great they are, nobody cares.

For the Orji boys, the fit at Vanderbilt was obvious. Coming from a household driven by hard work, commitment, education, and respect, West End was truly the perfect place for Alston and Anfernee. Butmaybe surprisinglyit was not solely these factors that had Willy and Mariam ready to hand off their boys. It was the people and the culture.

Anfernee Orji is in his second year at Vanderbilt and is second on the team in total tackles. (Getty Images/Frederick Breedon)

The culture of we are going to make a man out of you, Willy explained. My feeling is that what football teaches is not so much of wins and losses, it goes beyond that. Its developing men; its getting the education that will help you after football.

One story in particular stands out for Willy from Alstons recruitment process. And it involves Coach Masons staff and specifically, former Commodore linebacker and linebackers coach, Chris Marve.

Chris Marve, who was recruiting Alston then, one of the greatest people I can tell you in recruiting circles, really spoke to me, Willy said. He looked at Alston and said, If you come here to play for me, I am not promising to be your friend. I am promising to make the best of what you can do. I cried. I literally cried in that room because its like having another father with my son.

Little did Willy know, just one year later, Alstons Vanderbilt family would continue to grow, as he welcomed Anfernee to Nashville. And finally, this year, the Orjis are making an impact on the field. The two have combined for 31 tackles while lining up alongside each other and continue to grow into the Vanderbilt men their parents hoped they would become.

Amazing. Thats the only word I can use, is amazing. They started playing right away together, and at Rockwall, the two of them became kind of a feature. There are going to be these two Orji boys, both of them on defense, and I didnt think it would also happen at Vanderbilt, Willy said proudly.

This year, for the first time, when I saw them start together, I just had to give it to God and say thank you.

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'Instant chemistry': The Orji brothers bond on the field is rooted in family and perspective - The Vanderbilt Hustler

Saturn’s moon Titan has a weird organic chemical in its atmosphere – Space.com

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Saturn's moon Titan just keeps getting weirder and more tantalizing when it comes to scientists' hopes for life beyond Earth.

Titan is perhaps the most Earth-like place in our solar system, except the ingredients are jumbled up: ocean below ground, landforms of water ice instead of rock, rains of organic compounds, an atmosphere even denser than our own. Now, two new research findings add still more intrigue to the strange moon, identifying an unexpected chemical in Titan's atmosphere and evidence of more complicated surface phenomena than scientists had previously realized.

"We think of Titan as a real-life laboratory where we can see similar chemistry to that of ancient Earth when life was taking hold here," Melissa Trainer, an astrobiologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said in a statement. Trainer wasn't involved in either of the new papers, but she is the deputy principal investigator of NASA's Dragonfly mission that will launch to Titan in 2027 and arrive in 2034.

Related: Dazzling views show Saturn moon Titan's surface like never before

Scientists' fascination with the chemistry of Titan is what makes the new findings so intriguing. Researchers turned the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile toward the moon and spotted the chemical signature of cyclopropenylidene, an awkward triangular compound made of three carbon atoms and two hydrogen atoms.

"Titan is unique in our solar system," Conor Nixon, a planetary scientist at Goddard, said in the same statement. "It has proved to be a treasure trove of new molecules."

Cyclopropenylidene is only the newest of them. But finding it is surprising, the researchers say, because the little-known chemical is pretty friendly: if other compounds are near it, they tend to react, eliminating the cyclopropenylidene signature.

So while scientists have found the compound in the universe, it's usually out in the vast, cold, near-empty areas between star systems hardly an environment like that of Titan, although the chemical was only found in the moon's thinner upper atmosphere.

The newly spotted compound is also interesting because it is the second chemical found at Titan in which the carbon atoms lock in on each other to build a ring-like backbone. Other chemicals with that type of structure are crucial for the molecules that make up the information-containing part of DNA.

"The cyclic nature of them opens up this extra branch of chemistry that allows you to build these biologically important molecules," Alexander Thelen, a Goddard astrobiologist who worked on the research, said in the same statement. The researchers later checked archived data gathered by NASA's Cassini mission, which studied the Saturn system from 2004 to 2017, and saw supporting evidence for cyclopropenylidene in those observations.

Finding such a tantalizing compound in the upper atmosphere of Titan is particularly intriguing because scientists believe that sunlight-driven reactions in the area turn the simple compounds of Titan into increasingly complex, heavy molecules that eventually rain down onto the moon's surface.

The research is described in a paper published Oct. 15 in The Astronomical Journal.

That surface is the site of the other recent finding about the strange moon, which arose when researchers studied Cassini data about nine major craters on Titan's surface.

First, they realized that these craters came in two different flavors, and that they were geographically separated. Around Titan's equator, the craters were located in dunes and contained exclusively organic material, then are sprinkled with sand. North and south of that region, craters were found on plains and included both water ice and organic material then doused in methane rain, carrying away any sand blown into them.

"The most exciting part of our results is that we found evidence of Titan's dynamic surface hidden in the craters, which has allowed us to infer one of the most complete stories of Titan's surface evolution scenario to date," Anezina Solomonidou, a research fellow at the European Space Agency and the lead author of the new study, said in a NASA statement. "Our analysis offers more evidence that Titan remains a dynamic world in the present day."

Among the sites the researchers studied was one called Selk, where the scientists found a crater covered by organic material, with no sign of methane rain. But Selk Crater has something special going for it Dragonfly is already scheduled to visit the crater and scout it out, which should give scientists an even better view of what's happening on Titan's surface.

The research is described in a paper published Sept. 1 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Saturn's moon Titan has a weird organic chemical in its atmosphere - Space.com

Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation to Flourish with an Impressive CAGR During 2020-2030 – The Think Curiouser

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Analysis and estimation of important industry trends, market size, and market share are covered in the report. Global Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation market research report helps clients understand various drivers and restraints impacting the market during the forecast period. The market report comprises of data that can be pretty indispensable when it is about dominating the market or making a mark in the market as a latest emergent. Thus, the study of Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation report helps businesses to define their own strategies about the development in the existing product, modifications to consider for the future product, sales, marketing, promotion and distribution of the product in the existing and the new market.

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The overviews, SWOT analysis and strategies of each vendor in the Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation market provide understanding about the market forces and how those can be exploited to create future opportunities.

key players in this market include:

Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation

Jeol Ltd.

Danaher Corporation

Quorum Technologies

Ted Pella

Denton Vacuum

CAMECA

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Scope of the Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation Market Report

The research study analyses the global KEYWORD industry from 360-degree analysis of the market thoroughly delivering insights into the market for better business decisions, considering multiple aspects some of which are listed below as:

by Type, the market is primarily split into

Cutting & Slicing

Fixation

Embedding

Coating immuno-gold labelling

Others

by Application, this report covers the following segments

Life Sciences

Material Sciences

Biomedical Sample

Material Sample

Global Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation market: regional analysis, the major regions covered in the report are:

North America

United States

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Russia

Nordic

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

South Korea

Southeast Asia

India

Australia

Rest of Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Mexico

Brazil

Middle East & Africa

Turkey

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Recent Developments

o Market Overview and growth analysis

o Import and Export Overview

o Volume Analysis

o Current Market Trends and Future Outlook

o Market Opportunistic and Attractive Investment Segment

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Key Questions Answered by Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation Market Report1. What was the Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation Market size in 2019 and 2020; what are the estimated growth trends and market forecast (2020-2025).2. What will be the CAGR of Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation Market during the forecast period (2020-2025)?3. Which segments (product type/applications/end-user) were most attractive for investments in 2018? How these segments are expected to grow during the forecast period (2020-2025).4. Which manufacturer/vendor/players in the Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation Market was the market leader in 2018?5. Overview on the existing product portfolio, products in the pipeline, and strategic initiatives taken by key vendors in the market.

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Analytical Chemistry Sample Preparation to Flourish with an Impressive CAGR During 2020-2030 - The Think Curiouser

New Research Shows the Sensitivity of Thousands of Genes to Chemical Exposure – Clinical OMICs News

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University of Massachusetts, Amherst, researchers have taken what they claim is an unprecedented objective approach to identify which genes and molecular pathways including mechanisms involving aging, lipid metabolism, and autoimmune diseaseare most sensitive to chemical exposure. Headed by environmental health scientist Alexander Suvorov, Ph.D., the research findings could help to improve our understanding of how chemicals, including pollutants and pharmaceuticals, interact to impact gene expression, and potentially human health.

When we identified all the sensitive genes, we were very much surprised that almost every well-known molecular pathway is sensitive to chemicals to a certain degree, said Suvorov, who is an associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. These findings for the first time prove that current epidemics in metabolic and autoimmune disorders may be partly due to a very broad range of chemical exposures. Suvorov is first author of the teams published paper inChemosphere, which is titled, Unbiased approach for the identification of molecular mechanisms sensitive to chemical exposure.

Research estimates that the total burden of disease costs associated with exposure to environmental chemicals could be more than 10% of global domestic product, the authors commented. The number of new chemicals is also on a rapid increase, with the Chemical Abstract Service Registry increasing from 20 million to 156 million chemicals between 2002 and 2019. This situation poses a significant challenge for regulatory toxicology and requires the development of new, rapid, cost-efficient, and reliable methods of toxicity testing, Suvorov and colleagues commented.

Today, toxicologists recognize many molecular mechanisms that are key to a significant portion of all toxicity events, but all of these mechanisms were identified when there were no high-throughput methods for use in toxicology research. In the recent past, everything that we knew about molecular mechanisms affected by chemicals was coming from low-throughput experiments, Suvorov said, which led toxicology researchers to focus on those already identified genes, rather than looking for chemical sensitivity among a fuller range of genes.

What hasnt been known is whether all of the major mechanisms of toxicity have already been discovered using such historical approaches, or if there may be others that have been overlooked. Here, we hypothesized that data from toxicological omics experiments rapidly accumulating in publicly accessible databases may help to answer this question, the investigators commented.

To carry out their analysis, Suvorov and five studentsundergraduates Victoria Salemme, Joseph McGaunn, and Menna Teffera, and graduate students Anthony Poluyanoff, PhD, and Saira Amir, PhDextracted data on chemical-gene interactions from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), which includes human, rat, and mouse genes. In this study, we use publicly available data from the CTD, on changes in gene expression in response to a broad range of chemical compounds to identify, in an unbiased manner, the molecular mechanisms most sensitive to chemical exposure, the scientists noted. They created a database of 591,084 chemical-gene interactions reported in 2,169 studies that used high-throughput gene expression analysis, meaning that they looked at multiple genes; low-throughout analysis focuses only on a single gene.

I wanted to find some approach that would tell us in a completely unbiased way which mechanisms are sensitive and which are not, Suvorov said. I wondered if we were missing a significant toxic response just because no one ever looked for it. By overlaying many high-throughput studies, we can see changes in the expression of all genes all at once. And that is unbiased because we are not cherry-picking any particular molecular mechanisms.

The interactions analyzed encompassed 17,338 unique genes and 1,239 unique chemicals. The researchers split their database of chemicals into two parts, pharmaceutical chemicalswhich are designed to target known molecular cascadesand other chemicals such as industrial, agricultural, cosmetics, and pollutants. When the sensitivity of genes to pharmaceutical chemicals was compared to the sensitivity of genes to the other chemicals, the results were the same. That proves that when analysis is done on really big numbers of chemicals, their composition does not matter, Suvorov said.

The study confirmed the molecular mechanisms that had previously been recognized as being sensitive to chemical exposure, such as oxidative stress. But the new findings that the pathways involving aging, lipid metabolism, and autoimmune disease are also highly sensitive, suggest that chemical exposures may have a role in conditions such as diabetes, fatty liver disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Many of the pathways identified play important roles in different kinds of cancer, for example. Among the highest-scoring genes for suppressive interactions, there were important members of the GH-IGF signaling cascade (GHR, IGFBP3, and IGF1), cytokines (CXCL8, CXCL12, CCL2), cyclins (CCNB1, CDK1, CCNA2, CCND1), lipid metabolism genes (THRSP, HMGCS1, FASN), and more, the team reported. One important question that remains unanswered is what pathways should be covered by in vitro assays to ensure that we do not miss possible toxicities of chemicals using this new paradigm of toxicity testing. Should there be evidence connecting these pathways with adverse outcomes, these pathways must be included in the list of targets for in vitro testing.

The researchers said the results indicate that the majority of known molecular pathways are sensitive to chemical exposure. Our data suggest that almost every known molecular pathway may be affected by chemical exposures, they wrote. Lipid metabolism was one mechanism that was found to be sensitive to a broad range of chemical agents. This finding may have significant public health implications and requires additional research, the team commented. Another group of molecular pathways identified as highly sensitive to chemical exposures consists of immune response pathways. The ability of a broad range of chemicals to suppress expression of genes essential for beta-cell development and function may be a significant factor that predisposes the modern population to diabetes development, they continued. Immune mechanisms that are dysfunctional in allergy and autoimmunity were also among those that were found to be highly sensitive to chemical exposures.

Suvorov concluded, This study represents a significant step forward in the use of genomic data for the improvement of public health policies and decisions and the public health field will benefit from a future focus of toxicological research on these identified sensitive mechanisms.

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New Research Shows the Sensitivity of Thousands of Genes to Chemical Exposure - Clinical OMICs News

Podcast: Guest Ian Levy on Suns backcourt chemistry and S5 finale of The Expanse – Valley of the Suns

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Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

In Episode 5 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, guest Ian Levy joins to discuss the chemistry between Devin Booker and Chris Paul, as well as the S5 finale of The Expanse.

Welcome Valley Boyz and Girlz to another episode of the Valley of the Suns Podcast!

In Episode 5, host Gerald Bourguet is joined by a very special guest, FanSideds Ian Levy, to talk about what hes seen so far from the Phoenix Suns, the teams backcourt chemistry and the Season 5 finale of Amazons sci-fi show, The Expanse.

As the creative editorial director and NBA division head for FanSided, Levy gives his opinions on where the Suns stack up in the loaded Western Conference, whether Phoenix should stagger Devin Booker and Chris Paul more often, and what went down in another excellent season ofThe Expanse.

Is Phoenix better than the .500 team its looked like for most of the season? Will Book and CP3 figure things out in the backcourt together? And in our G-Rated segment, how didThe Expanse handle the death of a major character in its S5 finale, Nemesis Games?

Heres the breakdown for Episode 5:

As always, thank you for listening! Please make sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and write us a review with a few TV shows youre currently watching. If youd prefer to watch this episode, make sure to check out the newYouTube channel for the Valley of the Suns Podcast!

Finally, be sure to giveIan Levy a follow on Twitter and subscribe to The Whiteboard!

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Podcast: Guest Ian Levy on Suns backcourt chemistry and S5 finale of The Expanse - Valley of the Suns

Celebrating 10 years of Chemical Science: Demonstrating new ideas and concepts – Royal Society of Chemistry

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How have you managed to keep your research group motivated during the pandemic?

In Japan, we actually didnt have a serious long-term lockdown, so we were able to work in the lab but with limited members in two groups. We were therefore able to maintain a sufficient level of research, so that was good. I worked from home mostly, and we used Slack to communicate as a group. Through this channel, members of the group were able to share some of their skills for others to learn from. Some members are experienced in coding, other members are experienced in the use of graphics software, and others are able to share their skills in carrying out DFT calculations. Each Slack channel was used as a learning tool tutorials were given to help other members learn a new skill, and this provided an opportunity for questions to be asked on each topic. This was completely spontaneous, but we were all able to learn a lot from this.

We also used this time to connect with other groups from around the world. It was a great opportunity to discuss our science and exchange results, and is something that Id like to continue to do in the future.

I enjoy research that explores the structural transformations of assembled systems, and that demonstrates how systems can adapt to their environment and any external stimuli. Nature can do this because of evolution of course, with millions of years being spent adapting systems to a particular environment. For materials science researchers, its much more difficult.

I have several favourite papers that represent this kind of research. One of these, a paper published in Nature by Professor Matthew Rosseinsky, demonstrated the adaptable porosity of peptide-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs), which were able to form nine different conformations depending on the guest molecule. The authors used dihedral principle component analysis to correlate the movement of the dihedral angle of the peptide to the total structure in order to understand how the structure changed. This was such beautiful work.

Another paper that I would like to highlight, by Professor F. Akif Tezcan (Nature 2018), demonstrates something similar but on a macroscopic scale and based on protein crystals. In this work, the authors were able to use polymers to alter parts of a protein, which enabled them to tune the resulting crystals. Macroscopic expansion of the crystals was demonstrated, whilst maintaining the lateral positon. The vector is therefore the same, but the proximity changes. This work demonstrated such careful control from the molecular to the macroscopic scale.

Becoming a group leader has led to some incredibly exciting moments in my career. On a few occasions, members of my group have come into my office with such a serious expression on their face when presenting data that wasnt expected. They automatically assume that something has gone wrong during the experiment. However, most of these situations are actually quite exciting because unexpected data can come from completely different reactions to what we had expected. This allows us to construct a new story. Unexpected data means that we have to rethink our hypothesis, and through reconstruction, we can carry out new experiments to confirm our results and provide the correct answer. This has happened on a number of occasions, and I always find it incredibly exciting.

From 20072017, I was working as a group leader under the guidance of Professor Susumu Kitagawa, handling one of his sub-groups. In 2017 I became an independent professor, and my group was initially made up of only three members. We therefore had to be selective in which projects we wanted to pursue. That was quite a difficult moment, but I really appreciated the input of my postdoc at that time, Dr Gavin Craig. He was really helpful and worked incredibly hard, as he had to take over quite a lot of projects, and at the same time maintain his own research.

In our first paper in 2015, we demonstrated how we were able to prepare superstructures of flexible metal organic frameworks over multiple length scales. Here, not only were we able to control the molecular structure at the nanoscopic level, but we were also able to control the positioning of the crystals to make hierarchical architectures. From this work, we realised that there was potential to propagate the structure dynamics from the macroscopic to the nanoscopic level. However, we noted that this would be very difficult to do because of the crystallinity of MOFs they become hard materials and can become brittle under mechanical stress.

We then switched to making porous materials with metal organic polyhedra, containing cage molecules, in order to prepare systems with more of a flexible nature, which led to a 2018 publication in Chemical Science that was chosen as a Pick of the Week. Our research in Chemical Science over the past five years therefore tells quite a nice story - by changing the metal material to a cage, we were able to show the first example of flexible metal organic polyhedra. In 2020, we are now working out how we can enable transpropagation of mechanical stress in these kinds of systems, which could lead to a number of interesting applications.

We only publish papers in Chemical Science that present novel and interesting concepts, so I would definitely say that I am proud of them all! If I had to choose one however, it would be our contribution from 2019, which demonstrated the induction of gradients inside porous materials through the application of gravity. We were able to achieve this through a detailed understanding of the assembly process. I really like this concept because, through controlling the gradient, we had the chance to tune the chemical potential, which means that we can initiate the unidirectional transport of molecules. On the mesoscopic level, we are therefore able to the tune the properties of these systems.

I am very happy to say that all of my submissions to Chemical Science have been accepted. I think this is for two reasons: First of all, we only ever submit research that presents a new concept to the journal, but also because I think that Chemical Science is very accepting of new ideas and fundamental research. Other journals are quite picky, and I think care too much about research that will receive citations within the first two years rather than considering the impact that research will have in the long-term. Chemical Science is very good at choosing conceptually novel papers that will really be ground-breaking in the field over the next five to ten years.

My interests lie in translating the level of control that we have in normal macroscopic systems to the corresponding nanoscale systems. In order to do that, we require an understanding of the whole structure and all of the features of the system that we are investigating, from the nano- up to centimetre scale. I also want to further explore the introduction of separate components into these kinds of systems - if we can include more components, we have an opportunity to optimise the properties further

To celebrate the 10th anniversary ofChemical Sciencewe are publishing a number of special birthday issues, to recognise and thank members of our community who have been supporting the journal and publishing inChemical Sciencesince we launched ten years ago.

Explore our collection now.

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Celebrating 10 years of Chemical Science: Demonstrating new ideas and concepts - Royal Society of Chemistry

Logan: Nets seek answers, trying to get their chemistry right – Newsday

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Despite acquiring "third star" James Harden one month ago to form an All-Star triumvirate with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have traveled a bumpy road since then. Irving was on a personal leave of absence at the time, Durant was just coming off one COVID-19 quarantine and since has undergone a second quarantine that ended Friday.

The Nets Big 3 played their seventh game together as a unit Saturday night at Golden State to begin a five-game West Coast road trip that figured to be their toughest test of the season, and they didnt have starting center DeAndre Jordan, who missed the game for personal reasons. Counting Golden State, the Nets had just 10 games left before the All-Star break in March, and they still are searching for answers.

The good thing is they have played their best against the top teams, and they are facing four teams with winning records plus a quality Kings team that slipped one game below .500 with a loss on Friday night.

"We seem to get up and play better against the better teams," coach Steve Nash said before the Nets departed on their cross-country trek. "The West Coast definitely will challenge us. All these teams [also including the Suns, Lakers and Clippers] are very good. I hope we match the level that is asked of us and play to our level.

"The idea is to win games, but the big picture is: Are we getting better? Are we putting ourselves in position to be a more formidable team down the road? Thats the No. 1 priority for me over wins and losses. Weve got so many guys that have been in and out of the lineup, so were still in our infancy as far as trying to jell and put this group together."

The Nets recently snapped a three-game losing streak that was their worst of the season with a win over the Pacers on Wednesday in their best defensive performance of the season. Durant said his time off allowed him to focus on what the Nets have to work on most.

"Just being on the same page to start games on the defensive side," Durant said. Pointing to the final game of their recent losing streak, he added, "I watched the Detroit game, and we were down 14 points at the end of the first quarter. No matter who were playing against, thats a big deficit. We just want to start off games with intensity and keep building from there."

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Long road trips offer an opportunity to build an off-the-court bond that translates to better performance on the court, and that is especially true in the midst of a pandemic when everyone is stressed by the need to observe strict NBA health and safety protocols.

"With the bus rides, plane rides, being in the locker room with these guys, I feel like we still are in a bubble no matter what," Durant said. "I think were building that chemistry and getting to know each other on a personal level.

"Obviously, being out and going out to dinners and being able to hang out in public together definitely would help, but I still think were getting a lot of team bonding and building as were going through the season. Its about executing what we need to do on both ends of the floor, staying on one page, and I think were trending in the right direction."

The Nets have made no secret of their championship aspirations, and its obvious they have one of the most high-powered offenses in the league. But the win over the Pacers showed the importance of communication and what Nash describes as "connectivity" on defense to their long-term success.

The coach said the Nets are a quiet team, so this road trip comes at a great point in the season because it might help to galvanize them. "In the old days, we bonded by going out to dinner together, going to a bar," Hall of Famer Nash said of his playing days. "You cant do that in COVID. Its not a normal world.

"Its a challenge for us being a new group, new [coaching] staff, the changes, the trade, COVID. We just havent had a clean runway. In the good, old days, I would have put my credit card behind the bar and told the guys to go out and have a good time, but that aint happening in COVID. So well have to find creative ways to grow and find that bond."

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.

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Logan: Nets seek answers, trying to get their chemistry right - Newsday