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Eagles Striving For Right Offensive Chemistry – CBS Philly

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Fredricko

June 5, 2017 9:19 PM By EdBenkin

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Chemistry is the key word for the Eagles at OTAs. The team is hoping to find the right mix in the laboratory before the start of the season.

The Eagles kicked off another round of OTAs on Monday as they continue to move closer to training camp. There are a host of new skill players on offense whom the Eagles are hoping will result in an upgrade in point production. For offensive coordinator Frank Reich, it comes down to the right recipe for both the newcomers and the returning players.

Its like youre making a meal and youre bringing in fresh ingredients, said Reich. But youve got your old staples and youre trying to put together a recipe thats going to taste good. Its going to look good. Add the right seasoning, try to do things, isolate guys, try to do things in formations, taste it a little bit, see if it tastes good and work it a little bit more. Thats kind of what were doing right now is going through that process.

The process has been helped by quarterback Carson Wentz. The second-year signal caller has taken over a leadership role on the team. Wentz has complete confidence in the new players as well as his teammates from a year ago and has little fear that they wont be prepared for the start of the season.

Its still a process, Wentz said. I think were still just under a hundred days now until game one. Weve still got to keep building this thing, but things are starting to click for a lot of guys.

One of the key ingredients to the 2017 offensive recipe is wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. The former Chicago Bear is expected to make a major impact with the receiving core. Jeffery also believes the chemistry is growing on the offensive end both on and off the field.

It shouldnt take that long, said Jeffery. For the most part, we are clicking together and we are getting to know each other. Were also hanging out and getting to know each others personality.

Wentz is quick to point out the chemistry isnt restricted to the offensive side of the ball. While the competition will heat up at practice once training camp gets underway in July, the quarterback sees a strong bond between players throughout the roster.

Theres such a comradery between the offense and defense and the special teams, Wentz said. Were all in this together. Ive really had that feel. Its a competitive environment but at the end of the day, were all one big team. That comradery makes it fun to go out there and practice.

Now, its up to the players and coaches to find the right recipe for 2017.

Ed Benkin has been reporting sports for KYW Newsradio since April 2004, but hes long been a familiar face in the KYW newsroom and around the Delaware Valley. Born in Philadelphia and raised in South Jersey, Benkin attended Cherokee High School in...

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Book World: Weike Wang’s ‘Chemistry’ charts a young woman’s toxic reaction to stress – The Edwardsville Intelligencer

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Fredricko

Jamie Fisher, The Washington Post

Chemistry

Book World: Weike Wang's 'Chemistry' charts a young woman's toxic reaction to stress

Chemistry

By Weike Wang

Knopf. 211 pp. $24.95

---

Weike Wang's "Chemistry" is the most assured novel about indecisiveness you'll ever read. Consider its opening lines: "The boy asks the girl a question. It is a question of marriage. Ask me again tomorrow, she says, and he says, That's not how this works."

The boy is Eric; the girl, our narrator, goes unnamed. Both are graduate students in chemistry: He has just graduated; she has one year left. They have been together for four years, and their relationship has reached the point where whenever she invites friends over for dinner, they assume she will announce her engagement. But when Eric really does propose, she hovers, uncertain and unnerved.

Eric is cheerful, capable, from small-town Maryland. (The narrator wonders "why he left a place where every ice-cream shop is called a creamery to work seventy-hour weeks in lab.") Their relationship is bashful and enormously endearing. He compliments her vials. When he gets the job offer he's been hoping for, he puts a doily on her head and dances her around the kitchen. So why won't she say yes?

The title "Chemistry" also, of course, alludes to love. But in Chinese the word for "chemistry" translates to "the study of change." The novel is equally about the narrator's slow self-transformation and her relationship with Eric. Both have arrived at a catalytic moment: "the indecision each reaction faces before committing to its path."

Her best friend is a successful doctor, her lab mate miraculously efficient, and the narrator finds it difficult not to compare their careers with her own, which seems to have stalled. In high school she was an award-winning student. As an undergrad she became fascinated with synthetic organic chemistry, not quite anticipating that as a graduate student her job would require, say, repeating step No. 8 of a 24 step synthesis for months, "just so I can get the yield up from 50 percent to 65."

"Chemistry" is narrated in a continual present tense, which, in conjunction with Wang's marvelous sense of timing and short, spare sections, can make the novel feel like a stand-up routine. (Compare "the boy asks the girl a question" to a classic setup like "a horse walks into a bar.") Personal crises are interrupted, to great effect, with deadpan observations about crystal structures and the beaching patterns of whales. The spacing arrives like beats for applause.

But the present tense also suggests the extent to which the past is, for this narrator, an ongoing anxiety. It's hard for her not to contrast her immigrant parents' phenomenal will unfavorably against her own. After all, her father made it from the backwaters of rural China to graduate school and America. The narrator explains, "Such progress he's made in one generation that to progress beyond him, I feel as if I must leave America and colonize the moon."

Her parents expect nothing less. Growing up, her father instructs, "Tell me the time in arc second per second or don't tell me at all." When she confesses to her mother that she's leaving graduate school, her mother screams, "You are nothing to me without that degree."

"Think small," the narrator counsels herself, "think doable, think of something that might impress no one but will still let you graduate and find a job." But she can't think, she doesn't know what she wants, and if she can't decide, she may lose everything: Eric, her career, her self-worth.

Despite its humor, "Chemistry" is an emotionally devastating novel about being young today and working to the point of incapacity without knowing what you should really be doing and when you can stop. I finished the book and, after wiping myself off the floor, turned back to an early passage when the narrator asks her dog, "What do you want from me? You must want something."

It doesn't.

---

Fisher is a freelance writer and Chinese-English translator.

See the article here:
Book World: Weike Wang's 'Chemistry' charts a young woman's toxic reaction to stress - The Edwardsville Intelligencer

Johnson and Luebbert embrace chemistry heading into 2017 season – Columbia Missourian

Posted on August 16, 2017 by ev1

COLUMBIA As assistant soccer coach Don Trentham split Missouris players into groups during a team practice, he called the names of two of his top forwards: sophomore Sarah Luebbert and senior Jessica Johnson.

"Sarica!" Luebbert remembers the coach yelling before catching himself. "Oh, I mean Sarah and Jessica. Youre on this team!"

Luebbert loved Trentham's slip-up. She calls herself and Johnson a dynamic duo the two scored a combined 15 goals in 2016 and she wants the nickname "Sarica" to catch on.

Though Missouris players have not yet started calling the two forwards by their combined name, Luebbert and Johnsons chemistry is essential on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Head coach Bryan Blitz trains his players to aggressively defend the whole field, comparing his style to a full-court press in basketball. The defense begins with the forwards, and Blitz said Johnson and Luebbert embrace this mindset.

"You might score 20 goals, but if you dont defend, you won't start," Blitz said. ... "If you do both (offense and defense), thats when you can start. And thats what those two exhibit for us."

Luebbert is coming off a monster 2016 season in which she scored 10 goals, including four game-winners. She led the Tigers in points and was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

Johnson also put up solid numbers, tallying five goals and five assists. Luebbert said the senior excels when fighting for the ball.

"Sarah's direct success was because of all the dirty work Jessica does," Blitz said.

Heading into her final season with Missouri, Johnson has emerged as a leader. Luebbert said she has a calming presence; the senior doesnt have an in-your-face style, which makes her more relatable to teammates.

"We all are leaders on this team as seniors," Johnson said. "Definitely getting into that and growing into that role has been pretty awesome so far."

Blitz said he asked Johnson to lead the offense in 2017. He does not want to put too much pressure on Luebbert after her standout freshman year, and he stressed Johnson's improved finishing abilities, which will complement her speed.

"Shes really fast, so its fun to use our speed against other teams," Luebbert said. "We both really like to work together to try and confuse defenders and switch positions and play off of each other."

The sophomore vividly remembers working well with Johnson during a specific play during the 2016 season. Missouri was playing a road game against Mississippi in its SEC opener, and the two forwards were running toward the Rebels' goal with the game tied at zero.

Luebbert took the ball at the side of the field and quickly crossed it to Johnson, who took a shot in front of the goal.

Ball met net, and the Tigers were on the board.

Luebbert still smiles when thinking of the play. It was "Sarica" at their finest, and its a sight Missouri fans could get used to in 2017.

Supervising editors are Brooks Holton and Pete Bland.

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Johnson and Luebbert embrace chemistry heading into 2017 season - Columbia Missourian

New York Rangers Chemistry Threatened by Injuries – Bluelinestation.com

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Fredricko

Mar 9, 2017; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Valentin Zykov (39) celebrates his first period NHL goal with forward Sebastian Aho (20) and defensemen Brett Pesce (22) against the New York Ranger sat PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

New York Rangers: Brendan Smiths Report Card as a Ranger by Timothy Haggerty

On their current road trip, the New York Rangers won two-of-three games despite injuries to important players on the roster. However, the loss of these players has made it difficult for the Rangers to maintain a set lineup.

These shifts to their lines and pairings have threatened the chemistry that the teams worked on all season. It will be essential for the Rangers to run lines as consistently as possible before the start of the postseason.

Both Rick Nash and Michael Grabner are expected to return to the lineup tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.

Nash missed Thursdays game against Carolina with an upper-body injury. He is slated to play tonights game against Detroit with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich.

At points throughout the season, Nash has also played with rookie Jimmy Vesey. With Nashs absence due to injury earlier this year and with Zibanejad jumping around from line-to-line, there has been little consistency for Nash and his linemates.

Michael Grabner has missed five games due to a hip injury. The 29-year-old has been one piece of a key line for the Rangers this year.

Grabners line with J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes has arguably been one of the most regularly played lines on the roster. Grabner has played some of the best hockey of his career on a line with Miller and Hayes.

Jesper Fast is currently on the Injured Reserved with a shoulder injury. The 24-year-old doesnt score all that much, but Fast is arguably one of the Rangers most prominent forecheckers and adds much needed two-way play on the Rangers fourth line.

Having him back in the lineup in the future will add depth on the Rangers fourth line on both the offensive and defensive end.

On top of the issues the Rangers have faced on defense, they have been impacted by the loss of Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein.

Both Girardi and Klein have been placed on the Injured Reserve and are out indefinitely (Klein for his back and Girardi with an ankle injury). The addition of Brendan Smith, who the Rangers picked up before the trade deadline, and Steven Kampfer, who the Rangers acquired in the Dylan McIlrath trade have kept the Rangers afloat in their absence.

Finally, it was announced yesterday that Henrik Lundqvist would be out for two to three weeks with a lower-body injury. More specifically a muscle strain, this shouldnt be a huge concern for the Rangers, as Lundqvist will be back in time for the playoffs.

Lundqvist is the Rangers most vital piece in the defense. Because the teams most prominent issues stem from their play on the defensive end, they will need Lundqvist to be at his best entering into the playoffs.

In looking ahead, for the Rangers to have any chance moving into the playoffs they need a 100% healthy roster.

With such competitive Metropolitan Division this season, it is vital that the Rangers have every asset on their team at full strength.

They also need to establish some kind of consistency to the lines that they are running.

It seems that head coach Alain Vigneault has been working all season to try and establish what pairings he wants to run on a consistent basis.

He has been changing up combinations in part due to the inevitable injuries the Rangers were bound to face, but has also done it at points when it seems unnecessary. There have also been scenarios where combinations that were effective that were not given the time to fully develop.

While the Rangers players are capable of playing with anyone on the roster, there is a period of adjustment. Additionally, the longer lines are played consistently, the more players will be able to predict their linemates moves on the ice.

Vigneault needs to make a finally call on his lines. He needs to begin to run consistent pairings that are as close to those that will be played in the postseason.

The return of Nash and Grabner to the lineup tonight should be the start in an effort toward these goals of health and consistency on the roster.

More here:
New York Rangers Chemistry Threatened by Injuries - Bluelinestation.com

Astros’ depth, chemistry and veteran leadership could yield a … – Houston Chronicle

Posted on May 21, 2017 by ev1

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

Marwin Gonzalez is so versatile that the deep Astros can rest players at will and insert Gonzalez into the lineup.

April 3: Astros 3, Mariners 0

Record: 1-0

April 3: Astros 3, Mariners 0

Record: 1-0

April 4: Astros 2, Mariners 1

Record: 2-0

April 4: Astros 2, Mariners 1

Record: 2-0

April 5: Astros 5, Mariners 3 (13th inning)

Record: 3-0

April 5: Astros 5, Mariners 3 (13th inning)

Record: 3-0

April 6: Mariners 4, Astros 2

Record: 3-1

April 6: Mariners 4, Astros 2

Record: 3-1

April 7: Royals 5, Astros 1

Record: 3-2

April 7: Royals 5, Astros 1

Record: 3-2

April 8: Royals 7, Astros 3

Record: 3-3

April 8: Royals 7, Astros 3

Record: 3-3

April 9: Astros 5, Royals 4 (12 innings)

Record: 4-3

April 9: Astros 5, Royals 4 (12 innings)

Record: 4-3

April 10:Mariners 6, Astros 0

Record:4-4

April 10:Mariners 6, Astros 0

Record:4-4

April 11:Astros 7, Mariners 5

Record:5-4

April 11:Astros 7, Mariners 5

Record:5-4

April 12: Astros 10, Mariners 5

Record: 6-4

April 12: Astros 10, Mariners 5

Record: 6-4

April 14: Astros 7, Athletics 2

Record: 7-4

April 14: Astros 7, Athletics 2

Record: 7-4

April 15:Astros 10, Athletics 6

Record:8-4

April 15:Astros 10, Athletics 6

Record:8-4

April 17:Astros 3, Angels 0

Record:9-4

April 17:Astros 3, Angels 0

Record:9-4

April 18: Angels 5, Astros 2

Record: 9-5

April 18: Angels 5, Astros 2

Record: 9-5

April 19: Astros 5, Angels 1

Record: 10-5

April 19: Astros 5, Angels 1

Record: 10-5

April 20: Astros 2, Angels 1

Record: 11-5

April 20: Astros 2, Angels 1

Record: 11-5

April 21: Astros 6, Rays 3

Record: 12-5

April 21: Astros 6, Rays 3

Record: 12-5

April 22: Rays 6, Astros 3

Record: 12-6

April 22: Rays 6, Astros 3

Record: 12-6

April 23: Astros 6, Rays 4

Record: 13-6

April 23: Astros 6, Rays 4

Record: 13-6

April 25: Astros 4, Indians 2

Record: 14-6

April 25: Astros 4, Indians 2

Record: 14-6

April 26: Indians 7, Astros 6

Record: 14-7

April 26: Indians 7, Astros 6

Record: 14-7

April 27: Indians 4, Astros 3

Record: 14-8

April 27: Indians 4, Astros 3

Record: 14-8

April 28: Astros 9, Athletics 4

Record: 15-8

April 28: Astros 9, Athletics 4

Record: 15-8

April 29: Athletics 2, Astros 1

Record: 15-9

April 29: Athletics 2, Astros 1

Record: 15-9

April 30: Astros 7, Athletics 2

See the rest here:
Astros' depth, chemistry and veteran leadership could yield a ... - Houston Chronicle

Eli Manning is already developing good chemistry with Evan Engram – Giants Wire

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Fredricko

When the New York Giants made Evan Engram the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, it was met with some controversy. Not only did the Giants pass up the opportunity to upgrade the offensive line, but the scouting report indicated Engram was much more of a receiving threat than an all-around tight end.

However, its hard to argue that the Giants arent subsequently entering the 2017 season with one of the most complete receiving corps Eli Manning has ever had.

Engram, the addition of Brandon Marshall, and the development of second-year slot receiver Sterling Shepard are compliments to Odell Beckham Jr. that will be dangerous at every level.

Engram has the speed to be a potential matchup nightmare against safeties and linebackers. So its good to hear that he and Manning are developing chemistry with one another at organized team activities (OTAs).

From Giants.com:

The first-round draft pick made some noise out and showed his growing chemistry on the field with quarterback Eli Manning, a fellow Ole Miss alum.

Engram had a handful of catches, and they all came from No. 10, the best coming on a nice back-shoulder play down the sideline. It was just one of many great catches made today at the QDTC.

While the Giants offense will still live or die with the development of the offensive line, its encouraging to know the Giants will have more than just Beckham helping Eli in 2017.

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Eli Manning is already developing good chemistry with Evan Engram - Giants Wire

New solid-state battery chemistry with glass electrolyte delivers 3 times the capacity – ExtremeTech

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Danzig

Normally its a pretty solid assumption that whatever revolutionary new battery chemistry has just hit the news is going to crash and burn sometimes literally. Maybe the thing uses some outlandishly expensive metal as a catalyst, or it has to be supercooled to be well-behaved, or you have to fastidiously mind the outgassing lest the thing explode. Now theres a new battery chemistry in town, and it comes from the mind of John B. Goodenough (pictured below): the same guy who came up with the cobalt-oxide cathode that powers the lithium-ion battery chemistry we know and love. Goodenough predicts that the new chemistry will have triple the energy density of lithium-ion cells.

Lithium-ion batteries have been in the news lately because things Samsung puts them in tend to explode. They even had some washing machines that apparently blew up out of sympathetic embarrassment. So its probably wise to reserve judgment until something can be manufactured at scale. Other battery chemistries have come before, and failed. Lithium-air batteries are a great example of a very interesting battery chemistry that we cant use, because its development has been hamstrung by engineering problems we cant yet solve.

This new chemistry has one important difference from the lithium-ion model: It uses sodium instead of lithium. Sodium and lithium are both alkali metals, with the same +1 charge. But sodium is a whole lot more abundant than lithium, which could make the new battery chemistry less expensive than lithium-ion cells.

Then theres the exploding. Lithium-ion batteries are plagued by the formation of metallic lithium dendrites that spread like kudzu between the anode and the cathode, which causes a runaway reaction and shorts out the cell. Bang. To avoid this, Goodenoughs new battery chemistry uses an annealed glass matrix as an electrolyte. This presents several possible advantages over most liquid electrolytes, namely that it wont splash horrible battery liquid all over you if the casing is somehow breached. The glass mats also defy the formation of dendrites, because the anode never reacts with the mats.

Im a big fan of glass mats, because they have extremely shiny physical properties. Goodenough and colleagues used fiberglass sheets as the electrolyte matrix, and electroplated them with metallic sodium (or lithium) as the anode. Their build then packed the remaining cavities with carbon. The contact surface between the metallic anode and the glass mat is so tight that its actually classified as wetting.

Goodenough is betting that the new battery chemistry will be, well, good enough [I was waiting for this. -Ed]. In his words, a safe, low-cost, all-solid-state cell with a huge capacity giving a large energy density and a long cycle life suitable for powering an all-electric road vehicle or for storing electric power from wind or solar energy.

Excerpt from:
New solid-state battery chemistry with glass electrolyte delivers 3 times the capacity - ExtremeTech

Speed, chemistry drive Endicott hockey’s record setting offense … – The Salem News

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Danzig

Hockey, like a live telecast, is a lot more fun when the red light is on.

Call it scoring goals, potting ginos, ripping the twine or just lighting the lamp. No team in the country does it as well and as frequently as the Endicott College men's hockey team.

Streaking into the first round of the Division 3 NCAA tournament, the Gulls (23-3-2) bring a relentless and ridiculous offense to meet host Hobart Saturday night (7 p.m.).

Just check out this second-year program's ranks in various offensive measurements: they average 5.00 goals per game (first nationally), convert 29 percent of their power plays (second in the country), have 367 total team points (first nationally), lead the nation in assists (227) and they average43 shots on goal per game.

"Top to bottom, it's a lot of unselfish guys that respect their roles," sophomore Ryan Dougherty, the Gulls' captain. "No one's worried about who's putting it in the net. They're worried about how many times we're putting it in as a team."

Endicott prides itself on being a team that can score with all four lines and that's true: the Gulls have seven players with 10 or more goals, and five players that have more than 28 points (which would lead Hobart's individual ledger).

Nevertheless, the Gulls' top line has been the most dangerous trio in the country. Sophomore Cam Bleck uniting with Jason Kalinowski, a transfer from Hockey East's UNH, and fellow sophomore Tommy Besinger has made magic on the ice.

Bleck's 21 goals lead the team and rank fourth nationally, Kalinowski has 11 goals and 24 assists (13th nationally) and Besinger is the country's third-leading scorer with 48 points on 17 goals and 31 assists (also third in the nation).

What makes this trio so dangerous?

"Speed," Bleck said. "We move the puck well, we get a lot of shots to the net and we're all on the same page."

"I think we just like to play fast," echoed Besinger, who transferred to Endicott from West Point. "We think shoot first. We're not out looking for the perfect pass; we're looking to get it to the net. The majority of our goals are pretty sloppy because we get it to the net, then try to make things happen."

Endicott came within an eyelash of winning its conference title last year in its first varsity season, losing the championship game at home. Besinger played the last seven games of that year after his Army discharge came through, notching six goals and eight points in those limited contests.

The slippery-skating Milton native loved Endicott right away when he was looking to transfer from West Point. The Gulls have another ex-Black Knight, last year's captain Connor Costello, on the roster that made the transition even smoother.

"I knew a few of the guys and coach was great about understanding how long it takes. From my first weekend here I felt like I was part of the team," said Besinger. "Once I saw this campus and this rink, I couldn't turn that down."

The trio combined for the game-winning goal in last Saturday's thrilling conference championship win, with Kalinowski springing Bleck with a pass from the seat of his pants with only nine seconds left in regulation.

"Kal's been making plays like that all year," said Bleck, who believes his line's success has come in part because the team hasn't had to make many changes.

They started by manufacturing a 3-3 tie at No. 1 ranked Norwich in December and haven't looked back; Blec has scored in five straight games and Besinger is in the midst of 12-game point streak, having been held off the scoresheet just three times all year.

"We haven't had to switch things up too much, and that's got the chemistry going. We've practiced together every day and everything has clicked," said Bleck. "What's really huge is that we don't have to rely on one line, so there's no pressure on us."

Sophomore Ross Olsson (17 goals) is a huge part of that depth for Endicott, along with junior Jack Musil (13 goals) and sophomore Josh Bowes.

Then there's junior defenseman Logan Day, who's as a good a two-way rearguard as there is in the country. His 15 goals, 22 assists and 37 points making him the kind of puck mover that all hockey coaches covet.

"You look at the scoring and power play success, and I think it's connected to 3-4 phone calls I got from recruits last spring saying 'Coach, I'm in.'," said head coach R.J. Tolan. "You get great players, and all of a sudden my theories on the universe look pretty good."

Tolan has built one of the country's most formidable Division 3 teams in the blink of an eye. While deferring credit to his players, the way he and his staff have brought them together and fostered a culture of consistency is no small part of Endicott's success.

"Right when I got here and saw everything, I'm thinking 'How does something this great fall into your lap?'," said sophomore Tommy Daniels. "The you meet 30 guys that become as close as family, and one day after another it's been better than the last."

GOALS FOR GULLS

Some Endicott hockey offensive factoids:

Goals per game: 5.00 (1st nationally)

Power play: 29 percent (2nd nationally)

Leading scorer: Tommy Besinger (48 points, third nationally)

Double-digit goal scorers: Seven

Total shots: 1,206

Team points: 367 (1st nationally)

Team assists: 227 (1st nationally)

||||

See original here:
Speed, chemistry drive Endicott hockey's record setting offense ... - The Salem News

UWSP "tops off"’ $75 million Chemistry Biology Building – WSAW

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Fredricko

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) -- The Chancellor and onlookers signed a bright purple beam that was placed on top of the new Chemistry Biology Building at UW Stevens Point.

"Today recognizes that the building is not going to get any taller, we're at the highest point of construction," Director of Facilities and Planning for UWSP Carl Rasmussen said.

The $75 million project isn't opening its doors until Fall of 2018, and will be the first brand new academic building on the UWSP campus in more than 45 years.

"Its been intended not only as a science on display facility but in some respects kind of an academic centerpiece for campus, for everyone," Associate Dean for Budget, Personnel and Facilities for the College of Letters and Science Todd Good said.

The 176,500 square-foot facility will be the new home for the university's Chemistry Department and part of the Biology Department.

It will have 39 teaching laboratories along with 19 additional research laboratories.

"The natural sciences and the biology, chemistry and natural resources are really a centerpiece of this campus and one of its academic strengths. We have over 2500 students that are biology or natural resources majors or minors," Good said.

With that many students at the school interested in science programs, the facility could also help the college recruit future biologists and chemists.

"It really signals a commitment that the state, that the college that the campus has to student learning at UW Stevens Point," Good said.

For professors like Paul Hladky, who is the chair of the Chemistry Department, it means getting to use updated technology needed for scientific research in 2017.

"The idea that I'd be back here and I'd see something this phenomenal built on campus is just fantastic," Good said.

Hladky said the layout of the new building is going to be more beneficial to teaching, with the educational laboratories being more open, so all students can see the instructor during class.

He also said that since the building is brand new, it allows the labs to be tailor-made to what technology will benefit students and teachers most while in a classroom setting. He sees it as just one more draw to a school that already has a strong science department.

In total, the building will have five new lecture halls, 58 new laboratories and 45 new faculty and staff offices.

If construction runs on-time and they don't ruin into bad weather, Rasmussen says the building should be complete by the end of 2017, with the building opening up for classes in fall of 2018.

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UWSP "tops off"' $75 million Chemistry Biology Building - WSAW

About Last Night: Drew Smyly and Mike Zunino have chemistry – Lookout Landing

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Danzig

Drew Smyly opened his career as a Seattle Mariner with two scoreless innings in which he did not give up a hit, walking one and striking out two, but his post-game comments were reserved for heaping praise on catcher Mike Zunino. As 710s Brent Stecker reports, Smyly gushed:

Hes great. . .he really makes so many pitches look like strikes. Hes fantastic with receiving. It was eye-opening to me the first time I threw to him how well he was able to receive and make balls look like strikes. Thats huge from a pitching standpoint.

Weve all known for some time that Zunino is special defensively, but its fun to hear a new guy in the organization raving about him, like having a house guest who knows exactly what your Eames chair is and reminds you that hey, you actually have something pretty amazing hanging out in your front room. Smyly didnt need a ton of help from his battery-mate in the first inning, striking out Tyler Naquin on three pitches before getting first pitch outs (groundout and flyout) with his next two batters. He followed that in the second by striking out Edwin Encarnacion on three pitches before walking Yan Gomes on four straight pitches. Zunino was able to pick off Gomes trying to steal (?) though, and with a flyout from Bradley Zimmer, also first-pitch swinging, the inning came to a close. So clearly Smyly has been sitting on this praise for some time, since Zunino had very little to do with his performance today. Given they have spent such a short amount of time together, what might inform Smylys enthusiastic review?

Looking at catchers Smyly has worked with in the past might provide a clue. In 2016, Curt Casali caught the majority of Smylys starts. Casali is rated as a plus framer by StatCorner, even ahead of Mike Zunino, although Zunino is a little better at getting pitches outside the zone called a strike. However, because the Rays situation at catcher was in flux last year, Smyly wound up throwing to four different catchersCasali, Bobby Wilson (who also graded out just a few ticks worse than Zunino for framing), Hank Conger (who graded in the bottom third), and Luke Maile, who is a promising defensive prospect but caught just 14 innings last year. The catching situation wasnt any clearer in Tampa Bay in 2015, with Casali again getting the lions share of innings, followed by Wilson, Conger, and Maile. Casali and his 30% K rate have spent a lot of time bouncing between the majors and AAA, however, which makes Tampa Bays desire of Jess Sucre a little more understandable.

So its not like Smyly was throwing to poor receivers in Tampa Bay, but he certainly wasnt throwing to anyone with an iron grip on the starting job. As anyone who has to work closely with other people will tell you, having competent co-workers upon whom you can depend alleviates a tremendous amount of stress. Its hard enough to do your own job without worrying about someone elses ability to do theirs. Pitchers tend to be control freaks; hopefully, knowing that he can rely on Zunino to make the strikes look like strikes and the balls to also look like strikes will help Smyly focus on the task at hand. And for a player who has struggled as mightily as Zunino, its always nice to be reminded of what you can do well. As Edgar says, everyone needs someone to tell them they are good. Its early yet, but the Smyly-Zunino battery looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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About Last Night: Drew Smyly and Mike Zunino have chemistry - Lookout Landing

Cousins, Davis still seeking winning chemistry with Pelicans – Yahoo Sports

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Danzig

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins have provided plenty of fireworks but no winning chemistry for the New Orleans Pelicans in their first three games together since a blockbuster trade moved Cousins from Sacramento.

The NBA's newest version of the Twin Towers gets a fourth chance for a breakthrough win on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center, but it will be a very tall order because the 24-37 Pelicans will host the 46-13 San Antonio Spurs, the team with the second-best record in the NBA, in a nationally televised game.

The Pelicans have lost two of three to the Spurs this season, but in their most recent contest on Jan. 27, New Orleans spanked San Antonio 119-103. The Spurs had entered the game having won five straight, but San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag and emptied his bench with 3:34 left.

"We just ran out of gas," Popovich said.

Jrue Holiday led the Pelicans with 23 points and had 11 assists, and Davis scored 16 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, tying his career high on the boards.

The Pelicans would love nothing more than to have Holiday repeat that performance. Holiday broke out of a mini-slump on Wednesday night with 22 points in a 109-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

"I'm still excited (about the Cousins trade), but I don't think we're as good as we've shown," Holiday said Thursday after practice. "We've added DeMarcus and seen bits and pieces of him and AD getting 30 and nobody else helping them out. When we put a whole game together, it'll be a lot more fun."

In his three games as a Pelicans, Cousins has averaged 23.3 points and 12.7 rebounds, but he's also picked up 14 fouls, some of them early in games to limit his effectiveness. Cousins sat out the victory over Detroit on Wednesday while serving a one-game suspension for having picked up his 18th technical foul of the season in the previous game.

On Thursday, the Pelicans scrimmaged "a little more than we do on regular practice days to find out what will work best in essentially a double-post offense," said coach Alvin Gentry.

"We're just trying to get (Cousins) and everybody else into a flow where we're beginning to understand where guys want the ball or where guys are going to be in certain situations," Gentry said. "That's the biggest thing -- putting them out there and letting them play."

Davis has averaged 31.4 points on 50 percent shooting and 10.2 rebounds over his last five games, and he had 33 points in the victory over Detroit. Holiday said he hopes to get both big men going and have a good game himself.

Once the offense starts to click, Holiday believes Davis will really benefit from having more space to operate.

"I think he'll get a lot more shots because you really can't double-team him," Holiday said. "If you do it with a guard, it's a mismatch. He's playing against fours now, and fours can't handle him in the perimeter or in the post."

The Spurs are coming off a challenging 100-99 home victory against the Indiana Pacers in a game which had its share of controversy down the stretch. Kawhi Leonard hit the game-winning, fallaway jumper over Paul George with 2.4 seconds left, but the NBA admitted Thursday that the shot should not have counted because officials missed a traveling call against Leonard before the shot.

Leonard led the Spurs with 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting.

"He does that every night," Popovich said.

Leonard has averaged 18.7 points and 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals in three games against New Orleans, while forward LaMarcus Aldridge has averaged 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Rookie point guard Dejounte Murray started in place of Tony Parker (quad contusion) against the Pacers and played well down the stretch, contributing four assists and three points in the fourth quarter.

"He didn't start that well, but he hung in there and made some big plays," San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili said

The Spurs have won five of the last six games against New Orleans.

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Cousins, Davis still seeking winning chemistry with Pelicans - Yahoo Sports

Power of science: Warriors thrive with chemistry experiment – Chicago Tribune

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Fredricko

Zaza Pachulia holds his own during competitive games of poker on the airplane alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson they call it the "Good Guys Table." Andre Iguodala and JaVale McGee, one-time teammates with Denver reunited in Oakland, hold secret chats.

"We're building an empire," Iguodala joked. "We've got secret stuff we can't talk about."

Jonnie West son of Hall of Famer and Warriors executive Jerry West joins Curry, Pachulia and Thompson for their card games.

"It depends how Klay feels. If he's tired, then no card game," Pachulia said.

With all that was made before the season about adding Kevin Durant to an already star-studded roster, Golden State's players have jelled just fine. The NBA-best Warriors (47-9) are gearing up for the second half and what they hope is another championship run, and chemistry sure isn't holding them back.

Two-time reigning MVP Curry and KD love to watch each other accomplish amazing things on the floor, along with Draymond Green and Thompson and all of the others who contribute off the bench.

Curry initially allowed Durant to find his groove, then began to assert himself more and increase his shots. Experience playing together is the biggest factor to keep building team bonds, if you ask Iguodala.

"Weathering storms builds chemistry and adversity builds chemistry," he said. "The season's long and you want to have all types of ups and downs. And that's where you build it the most, and off the court, plane rides. I think when you play with teammates seven, eight years, you're still building throughout that time. You continue to learn about each other. You've just got to understand that that's part of the process and you've got to want to learn from one another."

The Warriors are counting on every advantage they can gain, on and off the court. During flights, team dinners, anywhere.

After a heartbreaking Game 7 to end last season's NBA Finals, Golden State's players want nothing short of a championship. Many of them got a taste winning the title two years ago for the franchise's first in 40 years.

Steve Kerr, the reigning NBA Coach of the Year, gets a kick out of watching his teams come together each year.

"It's one of my favorite parts of coaching honestly, is seeing how a team comes together, seeing the relationships develop, seeing guys laughing together, seeing who hangs out with who," Kerr said. "It's great. This team has a really, really good chemistry that developed really quickly. Obviously, we had the core group intact from last year. We lost some key guys, too. The additions have been great. The chemistry is really good."

Pachulia took it upon himself to be a part of that. With constant attention on the Warriors, he knows the importance of sticking together through all of the many challenges that come in an 82-game season and those things prepare a group for the postseason.

"You wish for the chemistry to come right away because you're kind of feeling pressure, a lot of talk's going on from outside," Pachulia said. "The reality is it's a process. It takes some days, it takes some games. It takes some bumps as well for the team to get on the same page and get the chemistry right. You've got to go through the process. I just don't see it the other way. We couldn't wait for these 40 or 50 games to pass and see where we were going to be. I feel really confident where we are right now, with everything we had throughout this 50 games, even the losses we had unexpected. It made us better, it made us stronger. You can appreciate it, honestly. We care about each other. We're on the same page. Keep going. We're not going to stop."

For Iguodala and McGee, the "chatter" stays between them.

"I have a lot of really in-depth conversations with JaVale McGee," Iguodala said, "about life."

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More efficient production for photoluminescent chemical compounds – Phys.Org

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Danzig

February 27, 2017 Photoluminescent compounds synthesized by the Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis Unit glowing under a UV light. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Chemical compounds that emit light are used in a variety of different materials, from glow-in-the-dark children's toys to LED lights to light-emitting sensors. As the demand for these compounds increases, finding new efficient methods for their production is essential. New research from the Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) describes a new strategy for producing photoluminescent (PL) compounds with increased capabilities. This research was recently published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C.

Production of PL compounds is typically centered around two main methods: the conventional metal-ligand system or an aggregation based system. The first method requires a complex ligand, or compound, that strongly binds to a metal ion in a way that would allow for the complex to emit light of certain wavelength. Unfortunately, this system is rigid and unable to be modified once the complex is produced. In contrast, the aggregation-based system is driven by weak interactions between different molecules or their parts. This allows for tunability by shifting the color of light emitted based on interactions of the PL compound with the local environment. However, aggregation is typically difficult to control and thus not feasible to use in systems requiring precision.

Recent research from OIST scientists combines the best parts of both methods to produce PL molecules. "We wanted to create better photoluminescent compounds by combining the two previous concepts: the flexibility of the weak aggregation driven complexes and the controllability of the conventional metal-ligand system", explained Dr. Georgy Filonenko, postdoctoral researcher from the Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis Unit at OIST.

Researchers, led by Prof. Julia Khusnutdinova, designed compounds whose photoluminescence depended on weak interactions between atoms within the single compound molecule itself. As a result, they obtained the tunability of the aggregation-based system confined to a single molecule, without the need for intermolecular aggregation.

Akin to the conventional metal-ligand system, the molecules synthesized by Filonenko consist of a ligand and a copper ion which interact to produce photoluminescence. However, the ligand in the OIST-synthesized molecules is not rigid and has two cyclic-bonded atom structure, referred to as rings, stacked on top of one another that can interact just like in the aggregation system, but within a single molecule. Interestingly, researchers discovered that they could adjust the color emitted from these molecules based on the distance between these rings. "We found that we could change the color produced by the compound based on what other groups of atoms were bound to the ligand," illuminates Filonenko. "Larger groups would cause the rings to move closer together, shifting the color to the orange-yellow range, while smaller substituents would make the rings move apart, turning the emission color red. The ability to tune the wavelength of light emitted from these molecules provides a huge advantage over the traditional metal-ligand PL complexes".

The tunability and controllability of these complexes makes them an attractive candidate for many applications. "We see a high potential for these compounds to be used as sensors due to their very high sensitivity to the surrounding environment," revealed Filonenko.

Explore further: Finding needles in chemical haystacks

More information: G. A. Filonenko et al. Intramolecular non-covalent interactions as a strategy towards controlled photoluminescence in copper() complexes, J. Mater. Chem. C (2017). DOI: 10.1039/C6TC04989C

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Cleveland Indians must develop chemistry, avoid complacency in spring training – WKYC-TV

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Fredricko

Matthew Florjancic, WKYC 4:29 PM. EST February 13, 2017

Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) and designated hitter Carlos Santana (41) celebrate after both scoring on a wild pitch by Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester in the fifth inning in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. (Photo: Tommy Gilligan, Custom)

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians pitchers and catchers reported to Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona, on Sunday for the official beginning to Spring Training for the defending American League champions.

In the abbreviated offseason following a run to the World Series for the first time in 19 years, the Indians handled plenty of business, re-signing all but one of their arbitration-eligible players and adding a middle-of-the-order power hitter in Edwin Encarnacion with the richest free-agent contract in franchise history.

With the Indians in camp for more than six weeks because of the World Baseball Classic, there will be plenty of time to work on fundamentals. However, the Indians need to work on chemistry and avoid complacency after the deep playoff run.

Ourselves, ourselves, shortstop Francisco Lindor told WKYC.com at TribeFest. If we play like were the AL champs, were not going to go anywhere. I feel like weve got to play with the same chip that we had last year, like were going to shock the world.

Were going to let the world know that were the Tribe and were coming for them. This year, were going to have to stay quiet, mind our own business and well see what happens. I think anything can happen once October comes by.

NO COMFORT FOR LINDOR

In his first full season with the Indians, Lindor made the American League All-Star team, led the franchise on its first trip to the World Series since 1997 and earned postseason recognition for his efforts.

At the plate, Lindor batted .301 with 182 hits in 604 at-bats, 99 runs scored and 78 driven in. Lindor smacked 30 doubles, three triples and 15 home runs with 19 stolen bases, a .358 on-base percentage and .435 slugging percentage.

In the postseason, Lindor hit .310 with 18 hits, three doubles, two home runs and six RBI along with five runs scored.

Comfortable? No. I dont ever want to get comfortable, said Lindor, who won an AL Gold Glove in 2016. I feel like Ive still got a lot to prove. We havent won. Yeah, maybe we went to the World Series, but we didnt win. It was cool; it was fun, but I want to win. I want to wear that World Series ring.

CHEMISTRY IS KEY

The Indians finished one win shy of their first World Series Championship since 1948 when they surrendered a three-games-to-one lead and lost Game 7 of The Fall Classic to the Chicago Cubs in extra innings at Progressive Field last November.

In an effort to get over the obstacles and complete what they started in 2016, the Indians went to one of their opponents in the AL playoffs, the Toronto Blue Jays, to bring in Encarnacion, who signed a three-year contract, one that includes a club option for the 2020 season.

Thats always the interesting part of spring training, manager Terry Francona said. Every team, every year, even the guys that are coming back, its a different team. The identity, the personality, thats what we work on in spring training, and we work hard at it because its meaningful.

ADDING POP TO LINEUP

In 12 years at the Major League level, Encarnacion has hit .266 with 1,439 hits in 5,409 at-bats in 1,513 career games. Of those 1,439 hits, 629 have gone for extra bases, including 311 doubles and 310 home runs. Also, Encarnacion has driven in 942 runs, scored another 829 and drawn 662 walks.

During his final year with the Blue Jays, Encarnacion hit .263 (158 for 601) with 34 doubles, 42 home runs and 127 runs batted in over 160 games. He set career highs with the 158 hits, 99 runs scored, 76 extra-base hits, 127 RBI and 318 total bases. The 42 round-trippers matched his single-season career best.

When you add a really good hitter, it makes everybody else better, but we didnt have Michael Brantley either, Francona said. Thats really our three and four hitters. Imagine if we have two All-Stars that we didnt have last year.

Its going to back up a couple guys. Its going to lengthen out our lineup. I know we have some work to do and we havent gotten Michael back on the field yet, but if we can get him back, its going to be exciting because we would never give a pitcher an inning off. Youre always coming, coming, coming, coming, and thats how you win.

( 2017 WKYC)

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Cleveland Indians must develop chemistry, avoid complacency in spring training - WKYC-TV

PMV Pharma gets $74M boost for personalized chemistry – MedCity … – MedCity News

Posted on February 23, 2017 by ev1

MedCity News

PMV Pharma gets $74M boost for personalized chemistry - MedCity ...
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P53: "The guardian of the genome." It's not an HBO series, it's a transcription factor implicated in over 50 percent of human cancers. An attractive target, to say ...

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Danny Ainge: Adding Players Can Sometimes Mess Up Team Chemistry – NESN.com

Posted on February 23, 2017 by ev1

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Danny Ainge: Adding Players Can Sometimes Mess Up Team Chemistry
NESN.com
Rumors had the Celtics gearing up for a blockbuster trade, but neither Jimmy Butler nor Paul George will make their way to Boston. Despite the trade deadline having passed, the Celtics still can make roster additions. As part of the trade deadline ...
Big questions, lots of answers before NBA trade deadlineESPN

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Scientists Observe Ultrafast Birth of Radicals Glimpsing Some of the Fastest Chemical Reactions Ever Observed – SciTechDaily

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Danzig

An international team led by Argonne has visualized the elusive, ultrafast proton transfer process following the ionization of water.

Understanding how ionizing radiation interacts with water like in water-cooled nuclear reactors and other water-containing systems requires glimpsing some of the fastest chemical reactions ever observed.

In a new study from a worldwide collaboration led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the German research center DESY, and conducted at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, researchers have witnessed for the first time the ultrafast proton transfer reaction following ionization of liquid water.

The truly exciting thing is that weve witnessed the fastest chemical reaction in ionized water. Argonne distinguished fellow Linda Young

The proton transfer reaction is a process of great significance to a wide range of fields, including nuclear engineering, space travel, and environmental remediation. The observation was made possible by the availability of ultrafast X-ray free-electron-laser pulses, and is basically unobservable by other ultrafast methods. While studying the fastest chemical reactions is interesting in its own right, this observation for water also has important practical implications.

The truly exciting thing is that weve witnessed the fastest chemical reaction in ionized water, which leads to the birth of the hydroxyl radical, said Argonne distinguished fellow Linda Young, the senior corresponding author of the study. The hydroxyl radical is itself of considerable importance, as it can diffuse through an organism, including our bodies, and damage virtually any macromolecule including DNA, RNA, and proteins.

By understanding the time scale for the formation of the chemically aggressive hydroxyl radical and, thereby, gaining a deeper mechanistic understanding of the radiolysis of water, it may ultimately become possible to develop strategies to suppress this key step which can lead to radiation damage.

When radiation with sufficient energy hits a water molecule, it triggers a set of virtually instantaneous reactions. First, the radiation ejects an electron, leaving a positively charged water molecule (H2O+) in its wake. H2O+ is extremely short-lived so short-lived, in fact, that it is virtually impossible to see directly in experiments. Within a fraction of a trillionth of a second, H2O+ gives up a proton to another water molecule, creating hydronium (H3O+) and a hydroxyl (OH) radical.

Scientists had long known of this reaction, with a first sighting in the 1960s when scientists at Argonne first detected the electron ejected from water by radiolysis. However, without a sufficiently fast X-ray probe like that provided by the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, researchers had no way to observe the residual positively charged ion, the other half of the reaction pair.

Being part of this highly collaborative and world-class group was just as exciting as watching water molecules dance in slow motion following ionization, said SLAC instrument scientist Bill Schlotter, who with Young led the conceptual design of the experiment. The keys to capturing the water in action are the ultrashort X-ray pulses at LCLS. By adjusting the color of these X-ray pulses, we can distinguish between the specific ions and molecules that participate.

The freeze-frame technology offered by LCLS offered researchers the first opportunity to watch the time evolution of the hydroxyl radical. While according to Young, the researchers would have liked to isolate the spectroscopic signature of the H2O+ radical cation as well, its lifetime is so short that its presence was only inferred from the OH spectroscopy measurements.

The ultrafast proton transfer that creates the hydroxyl radical gives rise to a special spectroscopic signature that indicates the rise of the hydroxyl radical and is a time stamp for the initial creation of the H2O+. According to Young, the spectra of both species is accessible because they exist in a water window where liquid water does not absorb light.

The major accomplishment here is the development of a method to watch elementary proton transfer reactions in water and to have a clean probe for the hydroxyl radical, Young said. No one knew the time scale of proton transfer, so now weve measured it. No one had a way to follow the hydroxyl radical in complex systems on ultrafast timescales, and now we have a way to do that as well.

Understanding the formation of the hydroxyl radical could be of particular interest in aqueous environments containing salts or other minerals that might, in turn, react with ionized water or its byproducts. Such environments could include nuclear waste repositories or other places in need of environmental remediation.

The development of the theory behind the experiment was led by Robin Santra of the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science at DESY in Germany. Santra showed that through ultrafast X-ray absorption, scientists could detect the structural dynamics both in terms of electron and nuclear motion near the ionization and proton transfer site.

We could show that the X-ray data actually contain information on the dynamics of the water molecules that enable the proton transfer, said Santra, who is a lead scientist at DESY and principal investigator at the Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, a cluster of excellence at the University of Hamburg and DESY. In just 50 quadrillionths of a second, the surrounding water molecules literally move in on the ionized H2O+ until one of them comes close enough to grab one of its protons in a sort of handshake, turning into hydronium H3O+ and leaving behind the hydroxyl radical OH.

This work was motivated by earlier research by Zhi-Heng Loh from NTU Singapore, the lead author and co-corresponding author for this paper.

Since joining NTU nine years ago, I and the members of my group have been studying the ultrafast dynamics that accompany the ionization of molecules, both in the gas phase and in aqueous medium, using femtosecond laser pulses spanning the infrared to the extreme ultraviolet. Our earlier work on ionized liquid water provided a glimpse of the lifetime of the H2O+ radical cation, albeit via indirect probing in the near-infrared, Loh said. We realized that a definitive experiment to observe the H2O+ radical cation would require soft X-ray probing, which however, lies beyond the capability of most tabletop femtosecond light sources. So when Linda approached me after hearing my talk on ionized water at a meeting in 2016, and wanted to collaborate on an experiment at the LCLS X-ray free-electron laser, I was absolutely thrilled.

Argonnes Center for Nanoscale Materials, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, was used to characterize the water jet before the experiment at LCLS.

A paper based on the study, Observation of the fastest chemical processes in the radiolysis of water, will appear in the January 10 online issue of Science.

In addition to Argonne, DESY, SLAC and NTU Singapore, several other institutions collaborated on the study. They included Uppsala University, the Technical University of Denmark, and Frances CNRS.

The Argonne portion of the research was funded by DOEs Office of Science (Office of Basic Energy Sciences).

The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOEs Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sand
ia and Los Alamos National Laboratories.

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Scientists Observe Ultrafast Birth of Radicals Glimpsing Some of the Fastest Chemical Reactions Ever Observed - SciTechDaily

Chemistry to be focus of CU symposium – The Lawton Constitution

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Fredricko

Chemistry to be focus of CU symposium
The Lawton Constitution
The public is invited to a symposium, "Improving People's Lives Through the Transforming Power of Chemistry" today and Friday at Cameron University. Graduates from Cameron's Department of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering will speak at the CU ...

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Chemistry to be focus of CU symposium - The Lawton Constitution

‘New’ Huskies prepare for season with chemistry, added depth – Dailyuw

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Danzig

Rita Pleskevich shoots a free throw during an open practice at Marv Harshman Court on Oct. 10, 2019.

Despite returning 10 of 14 players, Washington womens basketball head coach Jody Wynn says, Its a new team.

This is not the team that went 11-21 last year and won only two games in the conference regular season. This is a team with two years of experience under Wynn and a group of newcomers that includes a much-needed point guard.

I feel like from where we ended last year, on that really high note, I feel like we have grown so much, sophomore Haley Van Dyke said. Now we have a step up from where we were last year and that has helped us grow.

A lot has changed for the Huskies in the year since last season began, in the eight months since Washingtons Pac-12 tournament Cinderella run ended, and in the two months since training for this season began.

Two months ago it was so hard, junior transfer Rita Pleskevich said. One month ago I thought OK, its getting a little bit better but its too slow. Now, actually, I feel that I got much better and much more confident. We have a lot of meetings with coaches when they tell us, Oh, we trust you and we want the ball in your hands and we want you to be confident. I think Im there.

Pleskevich came from junior college to fill a gap thats been in Washingtons lineup for two years now. Shell be Washingtons first true point guard in a while, something that was emphasized to her from the beginning.

Pleskevich averaged 19.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in her sophomore season at Broward College and has four years of experience with the Russian Junior National Team.

The Dawgs also get added depth from three freshmen, centers JaQuaya Miller and Ali Bamberger, and guard Nia Lowery. That depth will be key on the court, but its also been important when preparing for the season to start.

It adds more intense practices every day, when you have that kind of depth and people fighting for playing time, Wynn said. To be able to have a deep bench and versatile players that can contribute whether its offensively or defensively or both is certainly going to make us a much stronger unit.

Washingtons chemistry this season is strong, and its helped the UWs newest players acclimate to the team.

My weaknesses are my new strengths and my strengths are even more powerful, Miller said. Ive definitely grown as a player and a person being surrounded by this team.

The Huskies will host Cal State Bakersfield on Friday at 7 p.m. to open the season and face Tulane at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Tulane will be a revenge game for the Huskies, who went to New Orleans last year and lost to the Green Wave. But that isnt this games focus for the Huskies.

Its so early, Wynn said. Were concentrating on ourselves getting better every day. Its more that on Sunday were better than we were on Friday.

Reach Engagement Editor Hailey Robinson at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @haileyarobin

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Odd ‘entropic bonds’ akin to chemical ones can form between nanoparticles – Chemistry World

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Danzig

Entropy maximisation can lead to entropic bonding that is remarkably similar to traditional chemical bonding between molecules, researchers in the US propose, even when effectively no electronic interaction occurs. The phenomenon could be useful in controlling self-assembly of colloids and other structures in soft matter.

The second law of thermodynamics famously states that, in any allowed process, the entropy of a system always increases. Entropy is sometimes defined broadly as the degree of disorder or randomness in a system, and the second law explains why a highly pressurised flask of gas will spontaneously spread out to fill a vacuum but all the molecules in a room will never spontaneously concentrate into a flask, leaving vacuum everywhere else. However, the second law often springs surprises: maximising entropy, which is more precisely the number of microscopic states of a system corresponding to each macroscopic state, can drive molecules to self-assemble from a seemingly disordered liquid into an ordered crystal, for example. The particles can assemble themselves in more different ways if they become a crystal than if they remain a liquid, explains computational scientist Sharon Glotzer of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Under suitable conditions, colloidal nanoparticles can be arranged such that direct intermolecular forces arising from electronic interactions are almost entirely screened. The molecules therefore behave like hard spheres and, in the absence of other forces, are governed purely by entropy. The definitive experiment to establish this required extreme measures to avoid the influence of gravity. They flew the experiment on the International Space Station, explains Glotzer. The astronauts produced all kinds of gorgeous crystals in test tubes.

The microscopic details of entropys influence on systems remain poorly understood, however. When we work with experimentalists and they grow nanoparticles in solution, they get whatever shape they get, and then they try to functionalise them with DNA or organic ligands, for example, to engineer the explicit interactions that arise from electrons, says Glotzer. Nobody ever says How do I engineer the entropy of my system?

In their new research, Glotzer and colleagues conducted a series of computational simulations focusing on hexagonal lanthanide-fluoride nanoplates. These can be synthesised with a wide range of bond angles and, in experiments, are often functionalised with multiple different groups. The researchers, however, focused on nanoplates with no functional groups and therefore negligible electronic interactions. When you strip all those interactions away, what you are left with is just entropy, explains Glotzer.

The researchers found that, despite the absence of physical attractive forces between the molecules, crystal structures formed that were remarkably similar to those seen under the influence of traditional chemical bonding. In principle, we all knew that maximisation of entropy in the absence of any other forces could order things, explains Glotzer, What we didnt know is that these emergent statistical, entropic forces could be highly directional and predictable. That predictable directionality is what has led us to argue that these emergent forces are, to all intents and purposes, bonds.

Theoretical chemist Daan Frenkel at the University of Cambridge says the Glotzer lab hugely expanded his own work on entropic self-assembly in the 1980s and 1990s. She has shown that purely entropic effects can produce a huge variety of crystal structures, liquid crystal structures and quasicrystal structures. That, I think, was a surprise to everybody. He says the present paper is not terribly surprising for people familiar with entropic self-assembly but attempts an intuitive theoretical rationalisation of what they have found in the past that gives general rules of thumb to predict which structures will be formed and which will not.

The researchers now aim to develop a predictive, microscopic theory of entropic bonding that can be combined with traditional theories of chemical bonding to assist in molecular design. We want to understand the role of entropy and shape alone in a system that also has chemical interactions, says Glotzer.

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Odd 'entropic bonds' akin to chemical ones can form between nanoparticles - Chemistry World

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