Select Page ::

Team chemistry has Salmen playing in Class 4A girls basketball semifinals

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Danzig

Ted Lewis/The Times-Picayune, March 01, 2012 6 a.m.

HAMMOND - Theres a sports axiom that unlike their male counterparts, female teams have to really, really like each other in order to be successful.

If thats so, then how do you square this from Salmen senior point guard Jade Johnson - Outside of basketball we dont really hang around much. We do our bonding at practice. But mentally, were just sort of all over the place. with the fact that the Spartans are 27-1, on a 23-game winning streak and are playing Vandebilt Catholic tonight in the Class 4A semifinals at Southeastern Louisiana University?

Its just a chemistry we seem to have, senior forward Samara Dingiswayo said. We do a lot of three-on-three work in practice and the coaches sub us in and out in games a lot, so everybody knows how to work with everybody else.

We dont talk a lot about whos happy or whos unhappy. Everybody seems pretty happy to me.

Obviously, with a season like the Spartans are having, theres a lot to be happy about.

A program that last reached the semifinals in 2000 that had struggled somewhat after that due to the departure of long time coach Pam Slayton compounded by Hurricane Katrina which devastated the campus and has since reduced enrollment by about 100 only regained its footing last year with a co-district championship with Ursuline.

This season with the arrival of 6-foot-3 freshman phenom Kalani Brown plus the emergence of several other freshmen and sophomores, Salmen hasnt had a close game in almost two months. The Spartans have won their last 11 games by an average of 28.2 points including playoff victories by 36, 21 and 17 point-margins.

And when the team actually does get in a bit of trouble such as in Mondays quarterfinal game against Broadmoor when they trailed 25-22 late in the third quarter they can go on a roll.

Salmen closed that game on a 26-4 run to win by 17.

Originally posted here:
Team chemistry has Salmen playing in Class 4A girls basketball semifinals

New American Chemical Society video on the chemistry behind digestion

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Danzig

Public release date: 1-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society

WASHINGTON -- Go ahead. Call digestion a disassembly line. The body takes that carrot, burger, tofu whatever morsel of food makes a journey once whimsically described as "through the lips, past the gums, lookout stomach, here it comes!" Digestion breaks the food down, extracts nutrients, and discards the waste. This amazing example of chemistry in action is the focus of a new episode of the ChemMatters video series, available at BytesizeScience.com.

The video is based on an article in the latest issue of ChemMatters, ACS' quarterly magazine for high school students, and was produced by the team behind ACS' award-winning Bytesize Science videos.

This episode explains that our body relies on three major types of food: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The video highlights how the body breaks down these big three food groups and puts their nutrients to use. Even though all the chemical reactions involved in digestion are different, they are variations of the same type of reaction hydrolysis.

###

ChemMatters has been connecting chemistry to our everyday lives for the past 28 years. Published quarterly by the ACS Office of High School Chemistry, each issue contains articles about the chemistry of everyday life and is of interest to high school students and their teachers. To request a free copy of ChemMatters, go to http://fs7.formsite.com/ACSEducation/ChemMatters/index.html.

For additional entertaining video podcasts from ACS, go to http://www.bytesizescience.com. The Bytesize Science series is produced by the ACS Office of Public Affairs.

For more entertaining, informative science videos and podcasts from the ACS Office of Public Affairs, view Prized Science, Spellbound, Science Elements and Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Continue reading here:
New American Chemical Society video on the chemistry behind digestion

Chemistry teacher, students examine causes, effects of global warming

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Danzig

Editor's Note: This article was completed as an assignment for a class in the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

The noise of talking in the crowded classroom gradually subsided as Lou Wojcinski, K-State assistant teaching scholar of chemistry, displayed the following question through the class projection system:

"Do you think most scientists agree with one another about whether or not global warming is happening, or do you think there is a lot of disagreement among scientists on the issue?"

Wojcinski then instructed the students to answer the question with their I-clickers; 70 percent of the class responded that there is significant disagreement among scientists, whereas only 30 percent said that the issue is settled.

As the political global warming debate surges, this poll raises the question of whether or not scientists agree on the issue.

Wojcinski said roughly 90 percent of scientists agree that global warming is occurring.

"Projections about the future are much harder to do; I would say there is less agreement there," Wojcinski said.

Wojcinski said there are a variety of factors that contribute to global warming.

"There is a human contribution to increased temperatures," he said. "I think it is important to say that it is not just a human contribution. There are natural contributions to the temperatures that we have, and I think that what some people think when they hear that it's a human-caused problem they think it's just a human-caused problem, which sounds a little silly. I think part of the hesitancy in accepting the science comes from people interpreting it as solely a human problem."

Besides disagreeing about what scientists think, students at K-State also have differing views about what global warming is and its implications for the future.

The Chemistry Club provides Leadership Coaching

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Danzig

The Chemistry Club, an independent business serving the technology industry, has today announced it will provide advanced leadership coaching sessions in the UK. The one-on-one lessons will be aimed at business managers of all ability levels and are scheduled to start later this year.

London (PRWEB UK) 29 February 2012

CEO of The Chemistry Club, Mark Simon has stated We believe leaders think logically, make sensible decisions and inspire those around them. Our leadership coaching aims to create a greater dynamism within organisations, allowing for swifter conclusions to be made ensuring better results.

About The Chemistry Club

The Chemistry Club is a leading company serving the technology industry. The business was established in 1999 and holds a series of business-to-business events, networking master classes and special briefings. The organisation run by Mark Simon is known for its networking events which have enabled people to meet and share their views in a neutral environment. For more information, please refer to The Chemistry Club website at http://www.networkingmasterclass.com.

###

Ross Hall FTI Consulting 020 7269 9334 Email Information

See original here:
The Chemistry Club provides Leadership Coaching

Saunders: Rockies ready to react as far as good team chemistry will take them

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Danzig

Rockies third-base prospect Nolan Arenado, 20, who drove in 122 runs for the High-A Modesto Nuts last season and was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League, takes a practice cut Tuesday as spring training ratchets up at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. A change of culture, better team chemistry and authentic relationships between the players.

Those are the catchphrases of the Rockies' 2012 spring training. Dan O'Dowd uses them, Jim Tracy uses them, even some of the players use them.

The professional cynic in me rolls his eyes and wonders how a change in philosophy and the addition of a bunch of 30-something ballplayers can transform the Rockies from a 73-89 ballclub into a contender.

It seems too touchy-feely.

Yet I have already seen some tangible changes on a team that was so out of sync last season.

For instance, Jamie Moyer, a 49-year-old lefty hoping for one more season, was given a locker next to prospects Tyler Chatwood and Drew Pomeranz. As the Rockies hoped, the youngsters are asking for advice from Moyer, who's happy to provide it.

As part of the culture-building concept, the players were each given a homework assignment. They drew the name of a teammate and are then required to present a biography of that player in front of the rest of the team. Moyer began it with a 20-minute dissertation on newcomer Jeremy Guthrie. The players loved the needling, the jokes and the inside information.

Monday, Tracy briefly addressed the team before handing things over to veterans including Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton, Jason Giambi and Carlos Gonzalez. The impressive thing, to me: It was the players who asked Tracy if they could lay out the expectations for 2012.

I asked Giambi, a 17-year veteran, about all this clubhouse culture stuff. He told me that it's real and it's important, explaining that when he played for the successful Oakland A's teams from 1995-2001, the A's had a homegrown family atmosphere.

See the rest here:
Saunders: Rockies ready to react as far as good team chemistry will take them

Virtual Chemistry, Inc. Announces the Integration of Mosaic Vivarium With Allentown, Inc.’s Wi-Com Sensus

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Danzig

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Today, as part of its continuing commitment to work with best-of-breed solutions for laboratory animal resources management, Virtual Chemistry, Inc. announced support for reading cage census data from Allentowns Wi-Com Sensus system. Utilizing the same RFID technology employed in other industries that manage high volume inventory, such as retail warehouses, Wi-Com Sensus reads an entire room of cages at once, eliminating time-consuming paper or barcode scans of individual cage locations. Now, high-volume RFID cage census data flows seamlessly into Mosaic Vivariums powerful, web-based laboratory animal resources (LAR) management software. The combination advances Virtual Chemistrys vision of the data-driven LAR facility.

Laboratory animal resources are a scientifically critical, financially expensive, and ethically sensitive tool for advancing medical knowledge. Mosaic Vivarium empowers organizations to utilize these resources as efficiently as possible. As part of our strategy to openly partner with proven hardware vendors, were extremely excited to integrate with Allentowns Wi-Com Sensus to provide our customers with the means to drastically reduce the labor costs of LAR management, said Terry R. Coley, CEO of Virtual Chemistry Inc.

About Virtual Chemistry Inc.

Founded in 1995, Virtual Chemistry, Inc. (VCI) creates solutions to help make life science research more efficient. The Mosaic platform captures over a decade of experience in LAR management and scientific data collection and puts these best practices in the hands of our customers.

About Allentown, Inc.

Allentown, Inc. is the global leader in research animal housing solutions with over 600 customers and more than 20,000 installations worldwide. For more than 40 years, Allentown has provided quality products and services to the biomedical research community. For more information, please visit http://www.allentowninc.com.

Mosaic Vivarium are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Virtual Chemistry Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Wi-Com Sensus are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Allentown, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Excerpt from:
Virtual Chemistry, Inc. Announces the Integration of Mosaic Vivarium With Allentown, Inc.’s Wi-Com Sensus

VeruTEK Inc.: Queens, New York Brownfield Site Goes Green, Saves Millions

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Danzig

BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

VeruTEK® Technologies, Inc. (VTKT), a provider of patented Green Chemistry technologies for environmental remediation and enhanced oil recovery, announced today a Certificate of Completion (COC) has been issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for the successful cleanup of a New York City brownfield.

The site, located along the East River in Hunters Point, Queens, NY will be redeveloped for a new branch of the Queens Public Library and a New York State Parks ranger station. VeruTEK successfully implemented its patented Surfactant-enhanced In Situ Chemical Oxidation (S-ISCO®) technology at this former industrial site to remediate contamination from coal tar repurposed from Manufactured Gas Plants (MGPs) for use in the production of roofing products.

This S-ISCO remediation marks the first time a Green Chemistry solution of this kind has been used to remediate MGP-related contamination in New York City and sets a precedent for the use of innovative technologies to achieve a COC within the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program.

S-ISCO provided a low-impact solution that benefits the health and safety of the community and environment. Specifically VeruTEK’s innovative treatment:

Destroyed contamination in place, avoiding digging and hauling thousands of truck-loads of contaminated soil through the community while preserving the stability of the subsurface and high-rise buildings on adjacent parcels; Prevented surrounding businesses and residents from being exposed to dust and emissions related to large scale excavation, and also reduced soil gas contamination; Took place during a short time frame (five months), without disturbing the community; and Provided a permanent solution to site contamination, preparing the site for safe and productive reuse.

Arana Hankin, President of Queens West Development Corporation (QWDC), the New York State public authority responsible for the development of the Queens West project, said, “Issuance of a Certificate of Completion for this brownfield site is an exciting milestone in the redevelopment of Queens waterfront property. We look forward to beginning the next phase of redevelopment, construction by the City of New York of a state-of-the art public library on the site, which was cleaned up with virtually no disruption to the community.”

At this urban site, VeruTEK conducted S-ISCO injections to treat more than 50,000 pounds of coal tar contamination in the soil by destroying in-situ (in place underground) over 90% of the combined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and BTEX compounds, including 95% of the naphthalene. VeruTEK’s novel S-ISCO technology combines patented plant-based surfactant and co-solvent mixtures (VeruSOL) with free-radical oxidant systems to safely release (desorb) and destroy recalcitrant contaminants from the soil. VeruTEK’s S-ISCO technology destroyed the primary source of contamination, yielding a permanent solution for the site.

VeruTEK’s S-ISCO technology was selected by Fleming Lee Shue, a New York City based environmental management and consulting company which was commissioned to design and manage the cleanup effort by QWDC and a leading national developer and manager of high quality apartment communities. The S-ISCO treatment was augmented by Wavefront Technology Solutions US Inc’s (Wavefront) Primawave pressure-pulsing technology, as well as the RemMetrikSM process to quantify subsurface contamination, optimize its treatment and measure effectiveness.

Arnold Fleming, President of Fleming Lee Shue, added, “Our firm identifies and commissions innovative technologies which deliver cost effective and thorough environmental cleanup. We were very impressed with the results of VeruTEK’s S-ISCO technology implementation. Compared to full-scale excavations conducted on similar nearby sites, VeruTEK’s remedy not only reduced the project cost by over $5 million dollars but also avoided the release of dust and odor, prevented disruption to the community, and reduced the carbon footprint of the clean-up. The project was done cost effectively, completed on-time, under-budget and resulted in a Certificate of Completion.”

Dan Socci, VeruTEK’s CEO, praised the work of the combined Fleming Lee Shue and VeruTEK team that designed and implemented the S-ISCO remedy, as well as the results achieved, stating, “We are proud of the outcome of this project and had a very positive experience collaborating with Fleming Lee Shue. We look forward to repeating this project’s success and bringing a safe, effective and environmentally preferable solution to other brownfield sites, enabling their return to productive use.”

VeruTEK has successfully implemented S-ISCO at locations worldwide to treat former MGP sites, chlorinated solvents contamination—including industrial cleaning and dry cleaning chemicals, home heating oil spills, and gasoline station tank leaks. The successful destruction of MGP-related coal tar at the Hunters Point brownfield site in Queens, adjacent to the East River and in a densely developed urban setting, demonstrates the ability of S-ISCO to achieve contaminant source destruction in-situ quickly and safely for the benefit of the community and the environment.

About VeruTEK Technologies, Inc. (www.verutek.com)

VeruTEK®is a green chemistry company with a new, field-proven approach to addressing difficult environmental issues. The company has developed innovative, patented, time-controlled chemistry to deliver safe, high performing and lower cost remediation solutions. VeruTEK's technology platform addresses a broad range of applications including soil/groundwater remediation and enhanced oil recovery as well as industrial cleaning products for surface cleanup of oil spills and PCB contamination. VeruTEK is publicly-traded under the symbol VTKT.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50182266&lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50182266&lang=en

Research and Markets: Progress in Inorganic Chemistry (Volume 57): the cutting edge of scientific reporting

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Danzig

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ddc2b7/progress_in_inorga) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Progress in Inorganic Chemistry (Volume 57)" to their offering.

Nowhere is creative scientific talent busier than in the world of inorganic chemistry experimentation. Progress in Inorganic Chemistry continues in its tradition of being the most respected avenue for exchanging innovative research. This series provides inorganic chemists and materials scientists with a forum for critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in every area of the discipline. With contributions from internationally renowned chemists, this latest volume offers an in-depth, far-ranging examination of the changing face of the field, providing a tantalizing glimpse of the emerging state of the science.

"This series is distinguished not only by its scope and breadth, but also by the depth and quality of the reviews." Journal of the American Chemical Society

"[This series] has won a deservedly honored place on the bookshelf of the chemist attempting to keep afloat in the torrent of original papers on inorganic chemistry." Chemistry in Britain

CONTENTS OF VOLUME 57

Author:

Kenneth D. Karlin, PhD, is Ira Remsen Chair in Chemistry and Professor of Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University. He received his PhD from Columbia University.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ddc2b7/progress_in_inorga

Read this article:
Research and Markets: Progress in Inorganic Chemistry (Volume 57): the cutting edge of scientific reporting

Genzyme to shutter UK site

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Danzig

US biotech – and Sanofi subsidiary – Genzyme has confirmed plans to close its R&D site in Cambridge, UK, by the end of 2012 putting 60 jobs under threat. The firm started the consultation process back in November 2011, when it said it was looking to consolidate its R&D structure geographically at four research hubs: one in Germany, one in France, one in Boston, US, and one somewhere in Asia. Sanofi says that it ‘remains committed to keeping its strategic presence in the UK’. It adds that it is ‘looking at options to minimise the number of job losses, either through transfer of roles within the Sanofi group or through assisting impacted employees in finding alternative employment’. The two other UK sites – a manufacturing site in Haverhill and an R&D site in Oxford – will remain.

French drug maker Sanofi bought Genzyme in February 2011 for $20 billion in one of the biggest biotech deals the industry has seen.

Are you affected by the closure? Let us know what you think…

Andrew Turley

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

Major Milestone for Cambridge NanoTech: 300th ALD System Shipped

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Danzig

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire -02/28/12)- Cambridge NanoTech, the world leader in Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) science and equipment, has completed delivery of its 300th system to the Institute of Coal Chemistry (ICC) in Shanxi, China. Marking as a milestone for the company, Cambridge NanoTech's ALD systems have become an important strategic solution for researchers and manufacturers that require digital control for a variety of materials such as oxides, nitrides, sulfides, and metals.

The Institute of Coal Chemistry is a high-tech research and development institution affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The Savannah will be the first ALD tool in their diverse R&D facility. "We chose the Savannah ALD system because we found that it was easy to get precise, uniform films, especially when trying new and novel precursors," explained Dr. Yong Qin, professor at State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, ICC. "We plan to use the Savannah for the ALD of supported nanocatalysts for applications in industrial catalysis. We expect the Savannah to be the workhorse of the lab, allowing us to run thermal process with little to no maintenance." The ICC will be working with a number of different materials including, TiO(2), SnO(2), VO(x), Pt, and Ru.

Cambridge NanoTech first introduced the Savannah ALD system nine years ago and has since expanded the world's most popular ALD system into three models: S100, S200, and S300. As a leader in the ALD industry, Cambridge NanoTech has expanded its product offerings to include the Fiji plasma-enhanced ALD systems for R&D and the Phoenix and Tahiti systems for batch and large area production needs.

"The widespread adoption of this technology, proliferation of the Savannah system and growth of ALD applications are helping accelerate the transformation of everyday products," said Jill Becker, CEO and founder of Cambridge NanoTech. "Six continents and thousands of research papers later, the Savannah ALD system has grown to become to gold standard for thermal ALD systems. Our team could not be more proud of this delivery as it is a testament to our systems, the versatility of ALD, and the market demand for this technology."

In addition to this milestone, earlier this month Cambridge NanoTech launched their first webinar series titled "What is Atomic Layer Deposition and Why Should You Care?" The first series of webinars focused on ALD basics and was attended by over 275 participants from 32 countries. "Modern technologies are dramatically changing the way we share information," explains Becker. "We are excited to be at the forefront of these social technologies, evangelizing Atomic Layer Deposition and providing people with tools that enable their material science solutions." Cambridge NanoTech's future webinars will feature topics ranging from the benefits of plasma ALD to the growth of self assembled monolayers. For more information on upcoming Cambridge NanoTech webinars, visit http://www.cambridgenanotech.com/seminars.

About the Institute of Coal Chemistry
The Institute of Coal Chemistry (ICC) is one of the high-tech research and development institutions affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). ICC mainly conducts basic and applied research in three academic scopes such as energy and environment, advanced materials and green chemistry.

About Cambridge NanoTech
Cambridge NanoTech delivers Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) systems capable of depositing ultra-thin films that are used in a wide variety of research and industrial applications. Our manufacturing ALD systems are used in the production of semiconductors, flat panel displays, and solid state lighting. Cambridge NanoTech research systems are used by world class scientists on five continents to study superior ALD film properties such as electrical, anti-bacterial, UV-blocking, and anti-reflection. To learn more about Cambridge NanoTech, please visit http://www.cambridgenanotech.com.

Go here to read the rest:
Major Milestone for Cambridge NanoTech: 300th ALD System Shipped

Leading German Researcher Awarded Elsevier's 2011 Tetrahedron Prize

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Danzig

AMSTERDAM, February 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Professor Dr. Manfred T. Reetz honored for his work on synthetic organic chemistry

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announces that leading German scientist, Professor Dr. Manfred T. Reetz (Emeritus) of the Max-Planck-Institut fur Kohlenforschung and Hans Meerwein Research Professor at Philipps-Universität, Marburg, has been awarded the 2011 Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry.

The Executive Board of Editors of Elsevier's Tetrahedron Publications selected Professor Reetz for his many outstanding contributions to synthetic organic chemistry, especially for his work on enantioselective catalysis to control stereoselectivity. He has been prominent in the discovery and development of enzyme catalysts for asymmetric reactions. These enzyme catalysts can be developed in the laboratory to suit a specific reaction using a process of directed evolution: repeatedly selecting and growing the host organism which shows the highest yield of the enzyme required.

"Winners of the Tetrahedron prize are leaders in their field. They are the scientists who, through their outstanding creativity in organic chemistry, have moved the field in a new and significant direction. Elsevier is proud to recognize this creativity by the presentation of this prize," Diddel Francissen, Executive Publisher for the Tetrahedron Publications at Elsevier, said of the annual prize.

Elsevier's Tetrahedron Prize consists of a gold medal and a monetary award. Established in 1980 to honor the memory of the founding co-Chairmen of the Tetrahedron Publications, Professor Sir Robert Robinson and Professor Robert Burns Woodward, it is awarded for creativity in Organic Chemistry or Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry. Previous recipients include: Albert Eschenmoser, Elias J. Corey, Gilbert Stork, Arthur J. Birch, Michael J.S. Dewar, William S. Johnson, Ryoji Noyori; K. Barry Sharpless, Alan R. Battersby; A. Ian Scott, Samuel Danishefsky, Stuart L. Schreiber, David A. Evans, Teruaki Mukaiyama, Henri B. Kagan, Peter B. Dervan, Yoshito Kishi, Kyriacos C. Nicolaou, Robert H. Grubbs, Dieter Seebach, Koji Nakanishi, Bernd Giese, Hisashi Yamamoto, J. Fraser Stoddart, Larry E. Overman, Steven V. Ley and Satoshi ?mura.

The Tetrahedron Prize will be presented to Professor Reetz at the Fall 2012 American Chemical Society National Meeting in Philadelphia, USA.

For more information on the Tetrahedron Prize please click here.

About Tetrahedron Publications

Elsevier's Tetrahedron cluster of journals consists of: Tetrahedron, Tetrahedron Letters, Tetrahedron Assymetry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry and Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters. All these journals provide an international forum for the publication of research in all areas of (bio)organic and medicinal chemistry.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact
Diddel Francissen
Elsevier
+31-20-4852588
d.francissen@elsevier.com

See the original post here:
Leading German Researcher Awarded Elsevier's 2011 Tetrahedron Prize

Burgers in a test tube and life’s complementarity – day 4 at the AAAS

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Danzig

The AAAS meeting rounded off with a look at how on Earth we’re going to feed increasing numbers of people who are developing a greater taste for pork, chicken and beef. Currently, livestock takes up 30% of the world’s farmland – both in grazing land and crops for feed – and with global consumption of meat expected to almost double by 2050 a solution is urgently needed. That’s where Mark Post, professor of angiogenesis in tissue engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, steps up. He wants to use tissue cultures to turn a mush of cells into a product that’s indistinguishable from a 16oz steak. However, steaks are complex with their taste and texture depend on a complex mix of a good blood supply and exercise to create firm, lean muscle tissue. As steak is a tough place to start, Post has been trying to make sausages, which he says are ‘barely recognisable as a meat product!’. He’s also looking at creating burgers using his tissue culture technique. He thinks that one of the first burgers he’ll make will cost $200,000 – a bit pricey for all but Bill Gates, but he’s sure that this price tag can be driven down.

Later in the afternoon Bob Root-Bernstein at Michigan State University gave a great presentation on the origins of life. He talked about the idea of molecular complementarity being the chemical starting point that helped put inanimate molecules on the road to forming life. Molecular complementarity is where two distinct chemicals, which could be very different, can reversibly to bind to each other. Root-Bernstein says that when people think of molecular complementarity they often think of large molecules like DNA. He says that when we think about the origins of life we need to think about small molecules coming together; and when they come together they can raise or lower the activation energy of reactions. Glutathione, for instance, can bind to glycine-glycine and protect it from destruction by UV light. These types of reactions could link up to form modules, and he theorises that these modules may have led to certain chemicals being favoured over others in the primordial soup. He points out that hints that this occurred throughout the evolution of life can still be seen today. Insulin, which regulates glucose, has motifs that allow it to bind to the sugar. Insulin can also aggregate into a hexameric barrel, and this could have been the genesis of the first glucose transporter. Even today, similar glucose-binding motifs to those found on insulin can be seen on glucose transporters and receptors. Clearly there’s lots of ifs and maybes here, but it’s a fascinating theory nonetheless.

Root-Bernstein says that he now hopes to search for chemical modules by re-running the Miller-Urey experiments, but increasing their complexity and bringing analytical tools to bear on the products that just weren’t available 60 years ago.

Patrick Walter

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

Chemistry in its element – TNT

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Danzig

Chemistry certainly has its share of happy accidents. Perkin tried for quinine but got a dye (and his fortune); while Wilbrand tried for a dye and ended up with high explosive… TNT. Simon Cotton tells the story in this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

Exclusive Interview With The Scientist Using PageRank For Chemistry

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Danzig

A couple weeks ago, we reported on Washington State University chemistry professor Aurora Clark, who is applying the Google PageRank concept to water molecules to determine molecular shapes and chemical reactions “without the expense, logistics and occasional danger of lab experiments.”

When asked about the whole thing, Google Fellow Amit Singhal told WebProNews, “Our goal in search is to help people expand their knowledge of the world, and we’re delighted to see that our PageRank algorithm is being used to do just that with this innovative and efficient molecular research method.”

As explained in the original announcement about this initiative:

In living things, water can perform key functions like helping proteins fold or organizing itself around the things it dissolves so molecules stay apart in a fluid state. But the processes are dazzlingly complex, changing in fractions of a second and in myriad possible forms.

Much like the trillion-plus Web domains on the Internet.

Google’s PageRank software, developed by its founders at Stanford University, uses an algorithm—a set of mathematical formulas—to measure and prioritize the relevance of various Web pages to a user’s search. Clark and her colleagues realized that the interactions between molecules are a lot like links between Web pages. Some links between some molecules will be stronger and more likely than others.

In the video above, Clark shares a bit about the inspiration and process in which PageRank is being applied to chemistry.

Pretty interesting. What do you think?

See more here:
Exclusive Interview With The Scientist Using PageRank For Chemistry

"Perfect Chemistry" (Original Song) by Tiffany Alvord – Video

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Danzig

20-01-2010 18:02 Get the produced version on Itunes: bit.ly The Physical CD is now on my website 😀 - bit.ly I hope you enjoy this song 🙂 I didn't dye my hair for anyone wondering. The lighting and my camera settings were weird and so it looks darker, but it isn't. Lyrics and Melody: © Tiffany Alvord 2010 Capo: 7th fret GCDG When I'm with you, I'm bout to explode Cause the way I feel is more than my heart can hold I smile, and giggle round you, without even knowing I try to hide it but, my love keeps showing Am-Em-GD And I'm trying not to fall, but I have no choice I'm falling in love Yes, I'm trying not to fall, but it's just too late I'm falling in love Em-Am-GD Cause you complete my heart, we're a perfect harmony And you, are my blanket of security And you, are the music to my melody And we, yes you + me, create the perfect, the perfect, chemistry GCDG With you, things are different than before You make me feel unlike any other Your eyes, do more than hypnotize me They make me feel of your sincerity Am-Em-GD And I'm trying not to fall, but I have no choice I'm falling in love Yes, I'm trying not to fall, but it's just too late I'm falling in love Em-Am-GD Cause you complete my heart, we're a perfect harmony And you, are my blanket of security And you, are the music to my melody And we, yes you + me, create the perfect, the perfect, chemistry Am-Em-Am-Em, Am-Em-Am-D, Am- Em-GD and I have, wanted just one guy, to show me that they aren't all the same and you are, that one guy for me, I ...

Read more from the original source:
"Perfect Chemistry" (Original Song) by Tiffany Alvord - Video

Is youth wasted on the young – day 3 at the AAAS

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Danzig

Is youth waste on the young… scientists? That’s the provocative question Catherine Beaudry from the Ecole Poloytechnique de Montréal, Canada, posed on Saturday morning on day three of the AAAS.

The Vancouver Convention Centre, where the AAAS is taking place, plays host to the digital orca, made of glowing plastic cubes

She ran us through her work looking at the contributions Canadian scientists make in nanotechnology and biotechnology throughout their careers and if they’re at their most productive when they’re young. Or do they mature like a fine wine to produce their best work? She notes that since the turn of the 19th century, the age of Nobel laureates has been going up at a rate of 1.6 years per decade. Is this an indicator that scientists are doing their best work later? Obviously, it’s difficult to control for all the different factors that can affect a researcher’s output over the course of their career, such as their position in the community, the grants they manage to secure and the network they build up around them. But she says that the work of younger scientists has more impact on their field but older researchers do tend to be more productive. She does note a more worrying trend though. In the US, the age at which a researcher secures their first National Institutes of Health grant where they are the principal investigator has gone up from 34 in the 1970s to 42 in 2004. If young scientists make the most important breakthroughs in their field, choking off the number in charge of their own projects can only be bad for science as a whole.

Next up, peer review was under the microscope. Is it still relevant in today’s world of electronic communications, pre-prints and open source critiques? The panel certainly thought so. Linda Miller, who has been an editor at both Science and Nature, and is now at the New York University Langone Medical Center, says that the vast majority of authors still think the traditional peer review process improves their work. But she does note that a current of change of sweeping the peer review world. Researchers are less happy with the process going on behind closed doors, reflecting a trend in wider society for greater transparency in decision making. Questions were asked as to whether open peer review – where manuscripts are posted online and reviewers names are comments are known to all – could be the next big thing. There’s certainly advantages, as everything is open and above board, but how could a younger researcher criticise a more established one without damaging their career? The panel feared that it could create a new system of patronage. Miller says that whatever happens, when change comes it could be ‘cataclysmic’. ‘Remember, eight year olds today will become the CEOs of tomorrow,’ she says.

After lunch, Tessa Holyoake, at the University of Glasgow, UK, had an talk on autophagy – the process of breaking down and recycling subcellular components – as a new drug target. The university is now involved in a clinical trial looking at whether an inhibitor of autophagy – the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine – can work synergistically with conventional therapies for chronic myeloid leukaemia. The cell studies look good and the group are putting together more powerful autophagy inhibitors that they hope will be effective in treating cancer.

The day rounded off with a fascinating look at the nanomaterial of the future – nanocellulose. These fibres can be extracted from cellulose and they are as strong as Kevlar and have some interesting properties that mean they could be used in all sorts of applications from batteries, to bioplastics and electronics. And the big advantage of nanocellulose is its abundance. Theodore Wegner, from the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, says that it should be possible to cheaply extract millions of tons of the nanomaterial from wood. He adds that another advantage of nanocellulose is that it doesn’t appear to have any of the toxicity issues that dog other nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes.

Patrick Walter

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

$3.5 million gift from Dow to develop sustainable chemistry education

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Danzig

College of Chemistry receives $3.5 million gift from Dow to develop sustainable chemistry education

February 24, 2012

The College of Chemistry will rebuild the college’s aging undergraduate teaching labs and design a new curriculum based on the principles of sustainability and green chemistry, with the support of a $3.5 million gift from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation.

“I am very grateful for the support we have received from Dow,” says College of Chemistry Dean Richard A. Mathies. “This very generous gift from the Dow Foundation will transform chemical sciences instruction for the 21st Century. These funds will enable us to completely renew our undergraduate instructional laboratories and our curriculum with a sharp focus on sustainable green chemical practices. The impact of this gift is huge because these courses serve thousands of students every year.”

Dow Chemical Company and College of Chemistry leaders pose at the University House. (Rear) Tony Kingsbury, Dow Executive-in-Residence, Haas School of Business; Dean Richard A. Mathies; Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau. (Front) Neil Hawkins, Dow VP for Sustainability; CBE Chair Doug Clark; David Kepler, Dow Executive VP for Business Services, Chief Sustainability Officer; Robert Miller, President and Executive Director, Dow Chemical Company Foundation.

“We are delighted to partner with Berkeley and the College of Chemistry,” said Andrew Liveris, Dow Chairman and CEO. “Together we will facilitate enhancements to both the curriculum and the learning environment that will encourage the next generation of students to adopt the principles of sustainable chemistry from their first day in the lab and the classroom.”

Guests from Dow and UC Berkeley enjoy a warm early spring day at the University House.

David Kepler, Executive Vice President for Business Services and Chief Sustainability Officer at Dow, helped coordinate the gift. Says Kepler, a 1975 chemical engineering alumnus, “As a leading global chemistry company committed to sustainability, Dow sees the need to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers beyond traditional chemistry into the discipline of sustainable chemistry.”

Both the College of Chemistry and Dow are committed to teaching chemists to create chemicals and processes that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances and minimize their environmental impacts. These sustainable practices are designed to apply to the complete life cycle of chemical products, including their design, manufacture, use and disposal.

To implement this new vision, funds from the Dow gift will transform the curriculum in following three ways:

The teaching labs will be renovated to reduce the impact of their use through sustainable practices. Lab equipment, hoods and lighting will be replaced to bring it up to the latest efficiency standards. The lab curriculum will be completely revised to incorporate sustainability into every experiment. The curriculum will be based on independent teaching modules that will engage the students by having them choose their experimental topics. A chemical analysis instrumentation facility will be built to give the thousands of students in the introductory courses the opportunity to work with modern instrumentation.

Berkeley CBE alum David Kepler, Dow’s Executive VP for Business Services and Chief Sustainability Officer, assists Dean Richard A. Mathies in removing a wall in preparation for the rebuilding of the college teaching labs.

Each year more than 2,300 Berkeley undergraduates in chemistry, physical sciences, biological sciences, engineering and other majors take introductory chemistry classes. “Our undergrad and grad students will go on to pursue careers in many fields,” says Dean Mathies. “The impact of our new sustainability curriculum will be amplified as our students take jobs in academia and begin to teach their own courses. Meanwhile our students in government and industry will spread sustainable practices as their careers develop.”

Adds Kepler, “We are excited to partner with the College of Chemistry to bring enhancements to both the curriculum and the learning environment that will encourage students to adopt the principles of sustainable chemistry from their first day in the lab and the classroom.”

[top of page]

Original post:
$3.5 million gift from Dow to develop sustainable chemistry education

Did Life Start in a Pond, Not Oceans?

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Danzig

Life may have gotten its start inland, inside ponds of volcanic condensate, not in the oceans.

Modern life is more chemically compatible with conditions in venting geothermal fields, such as Yellowstone National Park, than in the ocean, even a primitive ocean, new analysis shows. The finding challenges a widely accepted theory that modern life began in a marine environment.

The study, led by biophysicist Armen Mulkidjanian with Osnabruck University in Germany, suggests life evolved inside cooled inland ponds formed from condensation from volcanic activity deep inside the Earth. Life later would have spread into the oceans.

Stoking scientists’ interest in the chemical origins of life is a long-standing puzzle about why it has such high amounts of potassium, relative to the amounts of sodium.

NEWS: Antarctic Hot Springs Yields New Creatures

“The basic question is whether the observed high potassium-sodium ratio reflect the historical environment in which life originated or underwent early evolution, or instead reflects some underlying chemical necessity, such as better functioning of certain cellular components, such as RNA or protein enzymes in a high potassium environment,” Harvard Medical School biologist Jack Szostak wrote in an email to Discovery News.

The new research provides a possible explanation for the potassium-sodium mismatch. Scientists say the composition of inorganic ions in all modern cells matches the chemistry of geothermal vapor condensate -- not the ocean.

If this vapor condensed into ponds filled with carbon, nitrogen, phosphate and other building blocks for life, the environment would have been a natural starting point for cells to evolve biochemical processes, the scientists say.

In contrast, water of the early oceans should have contained 40 times more sodium than potassium, among other conditions not conducive to the origin of the first cells, Mulkidjanian wrote in an email to Discovery News.

“We have proposed that protocells evolved in habitats with a high potassium-sodium ratio and relatively high concentrations of zinc, manganese and phosphorous compounds,” he said.

WIDE ANGLE: Life’s Origins

To suggest otherwise, he added, means that the first cells already had sophisticated membranes as well as the enzymes to transport and/or block ions.

“We believe that it is too much of a stretch,” Mulkidjanian wrote. “The scenario that we suggest is physically and geochemically plausible.”

There are other factors favoring ponds for life’s start as well, such as lower salt concentrations.

“The accumulation of organic compounds in endorheic (free-standing) ponds is also easier to imagine than in the ocean, and geothermally active areas provide numerous advantages,” Szostak said.

Mulkidjanian’s research was published earlier this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Continued here:
Did Life Start in a Pond, Not Oceans?

Chemistry elective too expensive, Peters students told

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Danzig

Peters Township High School won't get an organic chemistry class anytime soon, despite pleas to the school board from a group of students.

This week the board heard from a group of science students, who said they will be at "a serious disadvantage" among their peers in college, most of whom will have already taken the class.

"This class is not just a want, it's a need," said student Carla Hoge, who said offering an organic chemistry class would help level the playing field for Peters' graduates.

Chase Maszle said a group of 130 students signed a petition expressing interest in taking the class, which could join other science electives that are currently offered, such as Advanced Placement chemistry, Honors chemistry, and molecular gastronomy.

Other local districts, including Canon McMillan, Bethel Park, North Allegheny, Mt. Lebanon, and McKeesport, offer the class, he said.

Organic chemistry is a major component for most science degrees, Chase said, and the lack of a class has proved to be "crippling" to Peters' graduates, because students who test high enough on Advanced Placement exams are able to skip some college-level science classes only to be faced with the unfamiliar organic chemistry.

Superintendent Nina Zetty said the district has explored offering the class during the past year, but said the staffing and curriculum costs -- which could top $100,000 -- are too high for the district to bear right now.

The district is considering a 3-mill property tax increase, hoping to shave a projected $1.7 million deficit. Board members voted Tuesday to increase retirement incentives for teachers, making them eligible for retirement with fewer years of service and lower age limits.

"As of now, organic chemistry is not on the schedule for next year," said Ms. Zetty, who said the school's four chemistry teachers are already fully booked.

The student group also attended a meeting of the district's education committee earlier this month, and said they were disappointed that the board took no action.

They questioned whether some classes, such as molecular gastronomy [the science of cooking] -- which draws fewer than 10 students per semester -- could be offered half a year, with organic chemistry offered during the other half.

The organic chemistry class would be of interest to far more students, they said.

"These aren't just five or six students," said Ryan Duane. "There are 130 students who really would benefit from this class."

Ms. Zetty said the district is considering several other options, such as transporting students to other schools for the class, or offering it through dual-enrollment with local colleges.

"We are already looking into alternatives," Ms. Zetty said.

Chase and Carla said the student group would continue to pursue its goal without being discouraged. Both are student council officers who agreed to speak publicly about the issue on behalf of their classmates. They said high school teachers and administrators are supporting their request.

Janice Crompton: jcrompton@post-gazette.com or 412-851-1867.

First published on February 23, 2012 at 5:29 am

See the article here:
Chemistry elective too expensive, Peters students told

UC Berkeley Advances Sustainable Chemistry Education with Dow Gift

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Danzig

MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The UC Berkeley College of Chemistry will rebuild the college’s aging undergraduate teaching labs and design a new curriculum based on the principles of sustainability and green chemistry with the support of a $3.5 million gift from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation.

“I am very grateful for the support we have received from Dow,” says College of Chemistry Dean Richard A. Mathies. “This very generous and ground-breaking gift from the Dow Foundation will transform chemical sciences instruction for the 21st Century. These funds will enable us to completely renew our undergraduate instructional laboratories and our curriculum with a sharp focus on sustainable green chemical practices. The impact of this gift is huge because these courses serve thousands of students every year. Furthermore, Berkeley is now leading the way in making sustainable green chemical practices a core concept in our entire profession.”

David Kepler, Dow Executive Vice President for Business Services, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Information Officer, and a 1975 UC Berkeley chemical engineering graduate, helped coordinate the gift. Says Kepler, “As a leading global chemistry company committed to sustainability, Dow sees the need to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers beyond traditional chemistry into the discipline of sustainable chemistry.”

Sustainable chemistry uses the principles of green chemistry in the design of products and processes which reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances while addressing environmental impact. Sustainable chemistry is applied across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture and use. Sustainable chemistry is a highly effective and innovative scientific approach to addressing solutions to real-world environmental and social situations.

To implement this new vision, funds from the Dow gift will transform the curriculum in three ways:

First, the teaching labs will be renovated to reduce the impact of their use through sustainable practices. Lab equipment, hoods and lighting will be replaced to bring it up to the latest efficiency standards.

Second, the lab curriculum will be completely revised to incorporate sustainability into every experiment. The curriculum will be based on independent teaching modules that will engage the students by having them choose their experimental topics.

Third, a chemical analysis instrumentation facility will be built to give the thousands of students in the introductory courses the opportunity to work with modern instrumentation.

Each year more than 2,300 Berkeley undergrads in chemistry, physical sciences, biological sciences, engineering and other majors take introductory chemistry classes. “Our undergrad and grad students will go on to pursue careers in many fields,” says Dean Mathies. “The impact of our new sustainability curriculum will be amplified as our students take jobs in academia and begin to teach their own courses. Meanwhile our students in government and industry will spread sustainable practices as their careers develop.”

About the College of Chemistry

The College of Chemistry was founded in 1872 as a unit within the University of California, Berkeley. It continues to provide its top-ranked faculty and students with opportunities to work at the frontiers of knowledge. The college prides itself on a balanced approach to science, emphasizing both fundamental and applied studies.

The college produces more graduates trained in the chemical sciences than any other U.S. university. About 200 students earn undergraduate degrees each year in chemistry, chemical biology and chemical engineering. The college also awards about 30 masters degrees and 120 doctoral degrees each year in chemistry and chemical engineering.

In the most recent National Research Council review, the college’s Department of Chemistry was ranked first in the nation, while the college’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was ranked third. College faculty and alumni have won 13 Nobel Prizes in chemistry.

About The Dow Chemical Company

Dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at http://www.dow.com.

The rest is here:
UC Berkeley Advances Sustainable Chemistry Education with Dow Gift

Select Page ::