SOUTHWEST RETORT

SIXTY-NINTH YEAR OCTOBER 2016 Published for the advancement of , Chemical Engineers and in this area

published by The Dallas-Fort Worth Section, with the cooperation of five other local sections of the American Chemical Society in the Southwest Region.

Vol. 69(2) OCTOBER 2016

Editorial and Business Offices: Contact the Editor for subscription and advertisement information. Editor: Connie Hendrickson: [email protected] Copy Editor: Mike Vance, [email protected] Business Manager: Danny Dunn: [email protected]

The Southwest Retort is published monthly, September through May, by the Dallas-Ft. Worth Section of the American Chemical Society, Inc., for the ACS Sections of the Southwest Region.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Employment Clearing House…………...... 3 Fifty Years Ago……………………….….....6

ARTICLES and COLUMNS Schulz Award Winner Gale Hunt………….7 And Another Thing……………………….11 Around the Area………………………….14 Letter from the Editor….…..………...... 17

SPECIAL EVENTS National Chemistry Week…………………9

NEWS SHORTS Former ingredient found in dolphins, birds and fish……………………8 Coffee-infused foam removes lead from contaminated water………………………10 Snake venom composition could be related to hormones and diet……………………..13 Detecting blood alcohol content with an electronic skin patch………………...……16

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Huffman Laboratories……………....……..4 Contact the DFW Section Vance Editing…..…………….…….……….4 General: [email protected] UT Arlington………………………………..4 Education: [email protected] ANA-LAB……………………...….…...……5 Elections: [email protected] Facebook: DFWACS Twitter: acsdfw

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EMPLOYMENT CLEARING HOUSE Job applicants should send name, email, and phone, along with type of position and geographical area desired; employers may contact job applicants directly. If you have an opening, send your list- ing, including contact info for your company, to [email protected]. Deadlines are the 7th of each month.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE provide information required for analytical methods, con- tribute information for GMP related documentation such as Quality Manager, GMP Manufacturing investigations, batch records and reports and translate con- Location: Tianjin, China. tract requirements for JenKem Technology departments. JenKem Technology Co. Ltd. has a current opening for a Advanced degree in Chemistry, , Quality Manager position for GMP manufacturing of poly- or a scientific related field of study. Knowledge of organic, ethylene glycol polymers in Tianjin, China. The ideal can- polymer and . didate must have: Previous working knowledge of cGMP manufacturing Excellent communication skills in English and Manda- in the US or Europe, preferably polymer-related or pharma- rin (Chinese) ceutical manufacturing. Working knowledge of US GMP ICH Q7A Quality Outstanding demonstrated interpersonal skills in Eng- Management systems, preferably acquired in the pharma- lish and Mandarin (Chinese) a must (both written and oral) ceutical industry Proven aptitude for project management tools. Profi- Proven leadership skills in a quality management posi- ciency using project management tools to oversee all ele- tion ments of project lifecycle including scheduling/planning, Advanced degree in Analytical Chemistry or related meeting coordination, tracking of costs and deliverables, field. reporting to stakeholders, and risk mitigation. Project Man- Interested candidates should submit a cover letter including agement Certification a plus. salary expectations; and an updated resume at email: Computer and software skills including MS Office Suite [email protected]. programs, Internet, email systems required. Proven multi-tasking skills able to handle multiple pro- Project Manager, GMP Manufacturing jects simultaneously within a GMP environment; ability to Location: Beijing or Tianjin motivate teams, work within aggressive timelines collabora- General Manager, GMP Manufacturing Plant tively with cross-functional departments Location: Tianjin Demonstrated ability to work as a strong contributor in Central point of contact internally and for customers. a team environment on complex projects. Maintains positive relationships with customers. Required skills include strong communication, leader- Daily responsibilities including leading customer confer- ship, decision-making, organizational and analytical skills. ence calls, providing project updates, coordination of infor- A candidate must be able to maintain customer focus, han- mation flow, coordination of resources, resolution of issues dle difficult discussions, build consensus, work inde- between customer and JenKem Technology, writing project pendently and prioritize multiple tasks and adjust quickly, reports, and tracking project deliverables, scope, costs and as needed. The ideal candidate must be willing to pursue schedules. tasks that may be required for projects but are not clearly defined within this job description. Provide leadership to facilitate problem solving and de- Detail-oriented, dependable, motivated, ability to work cision making. Recommend solutions for addressing project with minimal supervision. related problems. Maintain direct involvement with other departments within JenKem Technology to help develop specifications, [email protected].

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SERVICES and ANNOUNCEMENTS

EDITING University of Texas at Arlington AND The Department of Chemistry and PROOF- READING JOBPOST0011697 SERVICES The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington seeks applicants for a full-time, non- Need someone to proof or edit tenure-track lecturer. The successful candidate your next paper, grant, or will hold a Ph.D. in Biochemistry or closely presentation? Let an experi- related discipline and teach undergraduate courses related to Biochemistry and General enced proofreader and PhD Chemistry. do it for you! I have a To apply go to http://www.uta.edu/uta/faculty- strong grasp of English gram- opportunities/index.php. Applicants must mar and scientific writing and submit a complete CV, a one page statement of teaching philosophy and arrange for 3 letters of can condense text without los- recommendation. ing the underlying meaning. Application review will begin immediately and Competitive rates! Contact continue until the position is filled. The Mike Vance: anticipated start date is January 2, 2017. UT Arlington is an Affirmative Action/Equal [email protected] Opportunity Employer. Women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. 408-786-7451 The use of tobacco products is prohibited on UT Arlington properties. A criminal background check will be conducted on finalists.

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DOCUMENT TITLE

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FIFTY YEARS AGO IN THE SOUTHWEST RETORT Here is up-to-date information on the as State University. Dr. James E. John- ACS Southwest Regional Meeting to son, who is an organic chemist spe- be held Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 in Albuquer- cializing in heterocyclic chemistry. He que, NM, and hosted by the Central received B.S. and M.S. degrees from New Mexico ACS Section. There will the University of Minnesota and a be a program of 218 papers. Special Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. symposia have been organized on the Dr. Paul S. Poskozim, who is an in- topics of “New Approaches in Teach- organic chemist with interests in ing Undergraduate Chemistry,” “High Group IV A elements. He received his Chemistry,” B.S. degree from Loyola University of “Cryochemistry,” “ Chicago and his Ph.D. from North- of Water Desalination,” and “Complex western. Fluorides and Molten Salts.” Glenn T. Seaborg, Chair of the AEC, will be In the ACS Panhandle Plains Section, the speaker at the banquet to be held Mrs. Elaine Ledbetter of Pampa on Thursday evening. A Friday plena- High School was the winner of the ry lecture will be given by Dr. William James Bryant Conant Award for our R. Fisher, psychiatrist at Albuquer- district, which includes Texas, Iowa, que’s Langner Clinic, on the topic Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkan- “Some Reflections on the Creativity sas, and Louisiana. She gave a talk at Process.” There will also be a one-day the local section meeting on “The New ACS short course Oct. 29 on the topic Look in High School .” “Modern Theory of Acids and Bases” given by Dr. Ralph G. Pearson of Professor Frederick Duke of Purdue Northwestern University. University was the speaker for the Oct. 10 meeting of the University of Arkan- The October ACS tour speakers are Dr. sas ACS Section. His topic was “The Edward A. Meyers of Texas A&M Flavin .” University and Dr. Paul K. Kuroda of the University of Arkansas. Their top- Dr. Joseph A. Polack has been ap- ics are, respectively, “Crystal Structure pointed Director of the Esso Baton of Certain Complex Compounds” and Rouge Research Laboratories. He re- “Origin and Age of the Chemical Ele- places Dr. L. E. Swabb, who has been ments.” appointed Manager, New Areas Planning New faculty members at Sam Houston and Coordination, State University are as follows: with Esso in Linden, Maurice Dyke, who is completing a NJ. Ph.D. at Rice in physical . He previously received Compiled by E. B.S. and M.S. degrees from North Tex- Thomas Strom

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2016 Schulz Award Winner Gale Hunt of Hebron High School On Tuesday, Octo- grant from Best Buy for her innovative ber 18, Mrs. Gale instructional program. Hunt of Hebron At the ceremony Mrs. Gale Hunt gave a High School in speech titled "My Journey on the Big Carrollton School Bus." (Lewisville ISD) was honored as the According to the ACS website, the 2016 Schulz Schulz Award is given to high school Award winner. The chemistry teachers like Dr. Werner meeting was held Schulz, who bring something extra to at Saltgrass Steak- the teaching of chemistry. Nominees house in Plano. should exemplify excellence in chemis- 2016 Schulz Award winner try teaching as demonstrated by testi- Mrs. Gale Hunt Gale Hunt has over monials from students and fellow teach- 40 years of teaching experience, includ- ers, results in student competitions, and ing 22 years in Texas. Currently, she diligence in updating and expanding teaches AP Chemistry at Hebron High scientific/teaching credentials. The hon- School. Gale earned a BS with a double orarium for the Schulz Award is $1000. major in chemistry and zoology, and a A large photo of the Schulz award win- MEd in supervision and curriculum. ner will be displayed for one year at the She worked in a genetics research la- Perot Museum of Nature and Science boratory and as a LSU lab instructor be- and then permanently displayed in the fore transitioning to teaching science at Gallery of Schulz Award Winners, Sci- the high school level. She is a leader in ence Building, Tarleton State University the ACT2 (Associated Chemistry in Stephenville. A traveling plaque also Teachers of Texas), and a member of stays at the winner's high school for the the National Science Teachers Associa- year of the award. tion (NSTA), Science Teacher Associa- tion of Texas (STAT), ATPE, and AP College Board. Her honors include be- ing the 2003 State of Texas Teacher Presidential Scholar of the Year, Irving ISD Apple Award for Outstanding Edu- cator, and being a Panel Member of the Texas State Review Committee. In 2008 she was awarded a $10,000 teacher

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From the ACS Press Room Former pesticide ingredient found in dolphins, birds and fish Perfluoroalkylphosphinic acids in northern pike (Esox lucius), double- crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in relation to other perfluoroalkyl acids Journal of the American Chemical So- ciety A family of common industrial com- pounds called perfluoroalkyl substanc- es, which are best known for making Bottlenose dolphins, cormorants and northern pike carpets stain resistant and cookware have been found to have low levels of a former non-stick, has been under scrutiny for pesticide ingredient in their blood. potentially causing health problems. Credit: Tory Kallman/Shutterstock.com Focusing on one of the family’s sub- groups, scientists report for the first time that some dolphins, fish and birds To find out more about PFPI- have perfluoroalkyl phosphinic acids As, Amila O. De Silva and (PFPIAs) in their blood. The work ap- colleagues analyzed blood pears in the ACS jour- samples from northern pike nal Environmental Science & near the Island of Technology. Montreal, cormorants from the Great Lakes Studies on PFPIAs have been and bottlenose dol- limited, but some have de- phins from Sarasota tected the compounds in hu- Bay, Florida, and man blood samples. The sub- Charleston, South stances also stick around in Carolina. Although the environment for a long the concentrations time, which makes them like- were low, the survey ly to be inhaled or ingested by people detected PFPIAs in 100 per- and animals. This particular subgroup cent of the samples. The re- of perfluoralkyl substances was once searchers say this ubiquity un- used in and continues to be derscores the need for further used in other industrial applications studying the potential effects such as carpet cleaning. of these substances.

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From the ACS Press Room Coffee-infused foam removes lead from con- taminated water Spent Coffee Bioelastomeric Compo- site Foams for the Removal of Pb2+ and Hg2+ from Water ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engi- neering Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the U.S., which makes for a perky population — but it also creates a lot of used grounds. Scientists now report in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering an innova- tive way to reduce this waste and help A foam filter made with used coffee grounds address another environmental prob- removes lead and mercury from contaminated lem. They have incorporated spent cof- water. fee grounds in a foam filter that can Credit: American Chemical Society remove harmful lead and mercury from water. can cause health problems. But an ad- Restaurants, the beverage industry and ditional step is needed to separate the people in their homes produce millions powder from the purified water. Fra- of tons of used coffee grounds every gouli and colleagues wanted to simpli- year worldwide, according to research- fy this process. er Despina Fragouli. While much of The researchers fixed spent coffee the used grounds go to landfills, some powder in a bioelastomeric foam, of them are applied as fertilizer, used which acted as a filter. In still water, as a biodiesel source or mixed into ani- the foam removed up to 99 percent of mal feed. Scientists are also studying it lead and mercury from water over as a possible material for water reme- 30 hours. In a more practical test in diation. Experiments so far have which lead-contaminated water flowed shown that pow- through the foam, it scrubbed the water der made from of up to 67 percent of the lead ions. spent coffee Because the coffee is immobilized, it is grounds can rid easy to handle and discard after use water of heavy without any additional steps, the re- searchers say. metal ions, which

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And Another Thing...

By Denise Merkle, PhD the National Hurricane Center.4 NHC September's topic was supposed to be is a reference site bursting with infor- Zika, but was scrapped in favor of an mation that can be used to abate and extension of summer. Now, it's au- possibly avoid hurricane-wreaked tumn, with its lack of flip flops and la- damage, but which doesn't have any zier days, and October is a good month bearing on the Hurricane itself. There to discuss viruses, too. After all, is no anti-Hurricane vaccine. There's Punkin' Chunkin' has already been ad- not yet a Zika vaccine, either, at least 5 dressed - and Zika is one wild piece of according to the CDC. genetic material. As with almost any vector, some hosts never know they're Definitions of Damage caused by Hur- harboring an extra snippet of RNA, ricane Winds are available on NHC, and some hosts suffer extreme conse- allowing those in the predicted path of quences. The devastation of the latter the hurricane to adjust their fear levels. Zika infections is phenotypically obvi- Shopping trips also scale with Catego- ous and catastrophic, especially for fe- ry. A Category 1 yields slight nervous- tuses, and the potentiation of viral ef- ness and forays for bottled water, ice, fects by pre- or co-infection with other candles, flashlights, canned fruit, and similar viruses is an interesting micro- cocktail components. Category 5 gen- biological phenomenon. Fascinating is erates distracted fretting and car trunks not, however, the humane descriptor of full of provisions, with the addition of the human cost of Zika infection. Hur- tarps, generators, and a long list of ho- ricane Zika is a scientific puzzle - one tels that will likely not lose electricity that will be solved by those who are when the eye wall hits the coast (and brave enough to shed their precon- don't forget the cocktail fixings). ceived and possibly archaic notions of What is the point of all this, you may infectious diseases, and think outside ask? The point is viruses and hurri- the envelopes. canes are naturally occurring phenom- ena that contribute to the survival of While I was listening to TWIV and our species in ways we cannot com- writing up a pithy summary of Zika (in prehend. Especially in the aftermath of 500 words or less), a visit from Hurri- a Category 3 storm or a clinically sig- cane Matthew enlivened my musings. nificant infection, there's not a lot of As infectious agents have the Centers time to acknowledge that we constant- for Disease Control,3 Hurricanes have ly coexist with forces beyond our con- trol, or even beyond our abilities to re-

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act. Which is why we have science. And scientists. Those who carefully Your Name Here! plan experiments and test models, Ads in the Southwest who don't discard possible explana- tions because they don't fit what is known; those who warn us not to con- Retort tract Dengue before we're exposed to Advertise your company or Zika, and that, in seven hours, the se- organization rene, sunny beach we're contemplat- ing will be the Atlantic. Someone, Promote a meeting, event or please, hand me the bug spray - and a conference tarp. Post your skills or list an Works Cited: available job 1) http://www.who.int/mediacentre/ Congratulate a colleague factsheets/zika/en/ 2) http://www.microbe.tv/twiv/ Full color: business card (podcast #410, among others). size to full page, one time 3) http://www.cdc.gov insertion or repeating 4) http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ Reasonably priced aboutsshws.php 5) https://www.cdc.gov/zika/ [email protected] prevention/index.html

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From the ACS Press Room Snake venom composition could be related to hormones and diet

Dynamic Rearrangement in Snake toxin is produced to find out more in- Venom Gland Proteome: Insights in- formation about this variation. to Bothrops jararaca Intraspecific Venom Variation The researchers analyzed venom from Journal of Proteome Research infant and adult snakes, both male and female, of the poisonous spe- Many people are afraid of snakes, but cies Bothrops jararaca, a well-studied scientists are now revealing insights South American snake. Between the about their venoms that could give infants and adults, about 8 percent of even ophidio- the venom gland phobes an appre- protein profiles dif- ciation for the an- fered. And the type imals. One team of toxins expressed has found that the in the infants’ glands proteins from the were dominated by a venom gland can different type than vary depending that dominating the on age and gen- adults’ toxins, which der. These find- could help the ani- ings, reported in mals shift their diet ACS’ Journal of from small reptiles Proteome Re- Venom differences within a snake species can depend on and amphibians to search, suggest age and sex. mammals. The ven- that hormonal and Credit: Agustin Esmoris/Shutterstock.com om gland proteomes dietary influences of males and females are at play. differed by almost 5 percent. The study’s findings could indicate that Among the animals that can instill im- hormones associated with either aging mediate fear in passers-by, snakes rank or gender play a role in what’s in a fairly high. They are stealthy and can snake’s venom, the researchers say. strike quickly with precision. Many can inject victims with a nasty poison. The authors acknowledge funding Scientists have already found that ven- from the National Council for Scien- om composition varies between and tific and Technological Development within species. André Zelanis and col- (Brazil), São Paulo Research Founda- leagues wanted to conduct a precise tion and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoa- protein profiling of the gland where the mento de Pessoal de Nível Superior.

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Around the Area UTD ACS meeting in Philadelphia, August 21, 2016. The Department of Chemistry and Bi- ochemistry welcomes Sheel Dodani Feng Wang gave an invited talk, back home as an Assistant Professor. “Post Hartree-Fock Free Energies Dr. Dodani performed postdoctoral through Adaptive Force Matching: Re- training in the lab of Frances Arnold at cent Progresses on Salt and CO2,” Cal Tech after earning her Ph.D. under Manybody Interactions Workshop, Chris Chang at Cal Berkeley and her Telluride, CO, July 12, 2016. B.S. Chemistry degree from UT Dal- O. Matsushita, R. Gensure, T. Pon- las. napakkam and J. Sakon. Patent ap- UT-Arlington plication, “Fusion proteins of collagen -binding domain and parathyroid hor- Dr. Jimmy R. Rogers, Associate Pro- mone” EP 2,155,874 was granted and fessor of Practice, has written a text- was validated in 13 countries in Eu- book for I. This rope on May 11, 2016. textbook is now being used in all of the first semester General Chemistry Hu, Z.-J., Zong, G.-H., Aljewari, H., courses at UT-Arlington. Likewise, He, Q.-L., Zhou, J.-H., Du, Y.-C., Dr. Seiichiro Tanizaki, Assistant Shi, W. “Exploring the mode of action Professor of Practice, wrote a textbook of ipomoeassin natural glycoresins” for use in General, Organic, and Bio- International Carbohydrate Symposi- logical Chemistry, a course taken by um, New Orleans, LA, US, July 17– nursing and allied health students. 21, 2016. Zhiji-an Hu received an Much of the motivation in writing honorable mention for this poster. these textbooks is to lower the cost for Whisenhunt, L., Zong, G.-H., students. While most chemistry text- Aljewari, H., Shi, W. books cost around $250 or more, these “Conformationally-controlled late- textbooks may be purchased at the UT stage modification to facilitate SAR -Arlington Bookstore for $25 or less. studies of ipomoeassin F” Internation- University of Arkansas al Carbohydrate Symposium, New Or- leans, LA, US, July 17–21, 2016. Marlena Patrick, Zayne Derden, and David Paul. In Situ Recalibration Publications of Biofouled Polymer-Coated Ampero Mukherjee, R. P., S. Jayanthi, T. K. metric Oxygen Microelectrode Array. S. Kumar, and B. Beitle (2016) Pro- Poster presented by Marlena at the duction of an anti-Candida via fed batch exchange chromatog-

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raphy. Biotechnol. Progress, doi. signal recognition particle. Biophysi- 10.1002/btpr.2296. cal Journal 111 (6):1151-1162. This article has captured the Cover Art of Morris, S. A., Wang, J., Zheng, N. the September 20 issue of the Journal. “The Prowess of Photogenerated Amine Radical Cations in Cascade Re- Mukherjee, R.P., S. Jayanthi, T.K.S. actions: From Carbocycles to Hetero- Kumar, and B. Beitle (2016) Produc- cycles”, Acc. Chem. Res. 2016, ASAP tion of an anti-Candida peptide via fed (published in the special issue on batch ion exchange . “Photoredox in Organic Biotech-nol. Progress, doi 10.1002/ Chemistry). btpr.2296. Song, Jibin, Feng Wang, Xiangyu Nguyen, Q., N. Hettiarchchy, S. Ra- Yang, Bo Ning, Mary G. Harp, Ste- yaprolu, S. Jayanthi, T.K.S. Kumar, phen Culp, Song Hu, Peng Huang, P. Chen (2015) Physico-chemical Liming Nie, Jingyi Chen, Xiaoyuan properties and Angiotensin-I convert- Chen, J. “Gold Nanoparticle Coated ing inhibitory activity of Pro- Carbon Nanotube Ring with Enhanced tein hydrolysates from a non- Raman Scattering and Photothermal genetically modified soy cultivar. Conversion Property for Theranostic Journal of American Oil Chemist’s So- Applications”, Am. Chem. Soc., 138, ciety, 93, 595-606. 7055 (2016). Department of Chemistry and Wu, B., S. Wang, W. Evans, Z.D. Biochemistry Deng, J. Yang and J. Xiao. Interfa- Texas Woman’s University cial Behaviours between Lithium Ion Seminar Schedule Fall 2016 Conductors and Electrode Materials in Various Battery Systems. J. Mater. Sept 16 Dr. Keith Miller, Chem. A (invited), 2016, DOI: University of Denver 10.1039/C6TA05439K. Sept 30 Dr. Jason Slinker, UTD Fan, Chenguang, Kevan Ip, Dieter Oct 21 Dr. John Beatty, Texas Söll. Expanding the genetic code of Woman’s University with phos- photyrosine. FEBS Lett. 2016 Sept.; Oct 28 Dr. Andrew Fischer, 590(17):3040-3047. Abbott Laboratories Henderson, R., F. Gao, S. Jayanthi, Nov 4 Dr. Ronald J. Rahaim, A. Knight, P. Sharma, R. Goforth, Oklahoma State C.D. Heyes, R. Henry, and T.K.S. Dec 2 Dr. Enrique Dilone, Amicus Kumar (2016) Domain Organization Therapeutics I the 54kDa subunit of the chloroplast

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From the ACS Press Room Detecting blood alcohol content with an electronic skin patch Noninvasive Alcohol Monitoring Us- ing a Wearable Tattoo-Based Iontophoretic-Biosensing System ACS Sensors Overconsumption of alcohol can lead to errors in judgment, causing, for ex- ample, some people to get behind the wheel when they are impaired. To help A skin patch that detects blood alcohol content imbibers easily and quickly know could help drinkers know when they’ve had enough. when they’ve had enough, scientists have developed a flexible, wearable Credit: Wang lab patch that can detect a person’s blood- have to wait up to 2 hours for results. alcohol level from his or her sweat. Joseph Wang, Patrick Mercier and col- The monitor, reported in the jour- leagues at the University of California, nal ACS Sensors, works quickly and San Diego, set out to make a more can send results wirelessly to a practical version. smartphone or other device. With temporary-tattoo paper, the re- In the U.S., one person dies every 53 searchers developed a patch that tests minutes in an alcohol-related car acci- blood alcohol content non-invasively dent, according to the Centers for Dis- in three rapid steps. It induces sweat by ease Control and Prevention. Current- delivering a small amount of the drug ly, ignition interlock devices are being pilocarpine across the skin. An enzy- marketed as a way to prevent drunk matic reaction leads to the electro- drivers from starting a car engine. But chemical detection of the alco- these are based on breath analysis, hol content. And a flexible electronic which can be affected by a number of circuit board transmits the data via a factors including humidity, tempera- Bluetooth connection to a mobile de- ture and whether someone has used vice or laptop. The steps take less than mouthwash. Recent research has 8 minutes from start to finish. In addi- demonstrated that sweat can be a more tion to connecting to vehicles’ ignition reliable real-time indicator of blood al- interlock systems, the sensor could be cohol content. At least two transdermal a simple tool for bartenders, friends or sensors have been developed to meas- law enforcement to use, the researchers ure alcohol levels in sweat, but users say.

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From the editor

My favorite press room article this month is the use of coffee grounds to scrub from wastewater. Not only do coffee grounds remove metal ions, the filters can be washed with dilute acid and reused. With the amount of coffee grounds produced in this country alone, this could be a big step in low

cost water treatment. The use of agricultural wastes as filter material for waste water goes back into the 1980’s. However, immobilizing of the grounds in a foam is a large step in the direction of ease of use. (Here are two good references: Coffee and tea as filter material; Exhausted coffee grounds.)

I am not sure that there is such a thing as an abnormal fear of snakes. It is a

natural evolutionary reaction to these reptiles. If no snakes were poisonous or aggressive, would that phobia have developed for us? The official scientific name for snake phobia is ophidiophobia or ophiophobia, while herpetophobia is a fear of reptiles and/or amphibians. The word is derived from the Greek: ophis—snake and phobia—fear. It is unfortunate that all snakes carry the stigma, when many snakes are harmless and interesting. Hognoses, common down in Bosque County, hiss like a steam kettle when disturbed; if that doesn’t work, they roll over and play dead (really). Black racers climb cedar trees; I once startled one having a nap on a warm rock and it scooted right up the closest cedar. Addendum: From that font of all information, Wikipedia, we have this statement: Care must also be taken to differentiate people who do not like snakes or fear them for their venom or the inherent danger involved. An ophidiophobe would not only fear them when in live contact but also dreads to think about them or even see them on TV or in pictures. About a third of adult humans are ophidiophobic, making this the most common reported phobia.

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