Recovery In Japan
Quote of the Week
"When a person can bring their full, authentic self to work, they're going to be a happier, more satisfied, and more productive employee."
ZOE KUZNIA, QUALITY-CONTROL ASSISTANT, GENENTECH – p. 41
May 23, 2011
In This Issue:
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Highlights
Cover Story
Japan Rising
Japan's chemical enterprise is recovering after the devastating earthquake and tsunami. (pp. 13-20)
Science & Technology
Using The Force On Cancer (Member Content)
Researchers probe the mechanics of tumor cells with atomic force microscopy and explore the technique as a diagnostic tool. (pp. 34-36)
Career & Employment
Coming Out in the Chemical Sciences
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender chemists encounter workplace struggles even as employers strive to be more inclusive. (pp. 41-44)
Table of Contents
Cover Story
Japan Rebuilds p. 13
Two months after a devastating earthquake and tsunami, Japan's chemical enterprise is on a determined path to recovery.
Recovering Research pp. 14-16
Japanese universities, scientific facilities damaged in quake face up to a year to rebuild.
Japan's Chemical Industry Rebounds pp. 17-18
Companies are rapidly rehabilitating their facilities but will face power shortages in coming months.
U.S. Boosts Scrutiny Of Nuclear Reactors pp. 19-20
Officials say lessons learned from Japan will make nuclear power safer in future.
News Of The Week
Fire Retardants In Baby Products May Pose Health Risks p. 7
Toxic Substances: Infants may be exposed to high levels of a toxic fire retardant.
Japan To Develop Renewable Energy p. 8
Nuclear crisis: Nation will scrap plan to obtain half of its electricity from atomic power.
Graphene Via Electrochemistry p. 8
Materials: Process that damages batteries yields desirable form of carbon.
Petronas, SABIC Have Big Plans p. 9
Emerging markets: Malaysian refiner, Saudi petrochemical giant eye projects in Asia, Middle East.
Sanofi Licenses Biologic Drug p. 9
Firm gets access to candidate treatment for inflammatory diseases being developed by India's Glenmark.
A New Detector For Endotoxin p. 10
Sensors: At low levels, bacterial lipid causes visible reordering of liquid crystals.
Reshaping Salt p. 10
Sodium chloride deviates from usual cubic crystal form under certain conditions.
Takeda To Buy Sweden's Nycomed p. 11
Pharmaceuticals: Purchase will take Japanese firm further outside its home market.
Thermo Fisher Bets On Phadia p. 11
Diagnostics: Deal gives instrument firm a stake in allergy and autoimmunity testing.
Business
Spirits Improve In Industrial Biotech pp. 24-25 (Member Content)
New investments, alliances are signs of life for biobased chemicals.
Dow Reaches Back p. 26 (Member Content)
Dow Chemical is investing heavily in petrochemicals to shore up its specialty chemical units.
Business Concentrates pp. 22-23 (Member Content)
- DuPont And Thermo Complete Acquisitions
- After four months of delays, DuPont has completed its $6.6 billion purchase of enzyme and food ingredient maker Danisco...
- Sunoco Phenol Plant Going To Honeywell
- Furthering its effort to exit the chemicals business, Sunoco is selling its phenol plant in Philadelphia...
- IBM And ETH Open Nanotech R&D Center
- IBM and ETH Zurich have opened the Binnig & Rohrer Nanotechnology Center at IBM’s research campus in Zurich...
- Banks To Receive SCI’s Perkin Medal
- Rodney H. Banks, a research fellow at Nalco, will receive the Perkin Medal...
- Kaneka Launches Biobased Polyester
- Kaneka has started producing fermentation-derived polyester at a facility in Japan with an annual capacity of 1,000 metric tons...
- Orascom Buys U.S. Chemical Facility
- Egypt’s Orascom Construction Industries has formed a joint venture with Janus Methanol...
- Lonza Will Expand Viral Vaccines Unit
- Lonza will expand its viral-based therapeutics business with the construction of a clean room at its Houston facility...
- ZeaChem Signs Deal For Poplar Feedstock
- Cellulosic fuels and chemicals firm ZeaChem has signed an agreement under which Oregon’s GreenWood Tree Farm Fund...
- Teva Acquires Generics Maker Taiyo
- Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has agreed to acquire 57% of Taiyo Pharmaceutical Industry...
- Amylin Sues Lilly Over Drug Alliance<
- Amylin Pharmaceuticals has filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly & Co. alleging that Lilly’s new diabetes collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim...
- Merck, Roche Team Up For Hepatitis Drug
- Merck & Co. has received FDA approval for the protease inhibitor boceprevir to be used in combination with...
- Harvard Spin-Off SciFluor Is Launched
- SciFluor Life Sciences, a biotech firm focused on improving the pharmacokinetic properties of drugs...
- Shire To Buy Maker Of Synthetic Skin
- Shire has agreed to pay $750 million to acquire Advanced BioHealing, a maker of a bioengineered skin substitute...
- Business Roundup
- Altana, Momentive Specialty Chemicals, Indorama, Linde, PerkinElmer, BASF, Sigma-Aldrich, Merck & Co. ...
This Week Online
Losing The Blues
Art Conservation: A classic blue pigment from Old Masters' paintings fades as its atoms reorient.
Fruit Flies Shake Off Silver Nanoparticles
Nanomaterials: Scientists investigate the chronic toxicity of nanoparticles in the insects.
Lightning And Wildfires Spark Ozone Pollution
Air Quality: Modeling suggests that emissions of ozone-generating nitrogen oxides from natural sources are surprisingly high.
Merck & Co. Bares Its Knuckles On Hepatitis C
Merck & Co. came out swinging in the competition with Vertex Pharmaceuticals for the hepatitis C market.
Government & Policy
Innovation Policy Urged For U.S. pp. 30-33 (Member Content)
Changing demographics, global competition compel a paradigm shift.
Government & Policy Concentrates p. 28 (Member Content)
- Commission Offers Nuclear Waste Plan
- A panel convened by the White House is recommending that the U.S. set up one or more aboveground storage sites where radioactive waste from nuclear power plants...
- NSF Rolls Out Strategic Road Map
- NSF has released a plan to guide the agency through 2016. The five-year plan...
- Cosmic Ray Detector Gets To Space Station
- When the space shuttle Endeavour took off last week on its last flight and the shuttle program’s penultimate mission, it was carrying...
- EPA Delays Costly Boiler Regulations
- EPA is indefinitely delaying new rules that would require manufacturers to comply with tighter emissions standards...
- FDA Cited For Lax Seafood Monitoring
- FDA should enhance its oversight of imported seafood to ensure that it does not contain residues of drugs that are not approved...
» more government & policy news...
People
Promotions pp. 38-40 (Member Content)
Career & Employment
Coming Out In The Chemical Sciences pp. 41-44
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender chemists encounter workplace struggles even as employers strive to be more inclusive.
ACS News: ACS Creates New Subdivision For Gay & Transgender Chemists & Allies Web Exclusive
Paving The Way: Finding Mentors And Role Models Web Exclusive
Corporate Equality: Best Companies For LGBT Scientists Web Exclusive
Social Networking And C&EN
You can now follow C&EN on Facebook. Become a fan and track the latest news and discussions at facebook.com/CENews.
Science & Technology
Using The Force On Cancer pp. 34-36 (Member Content)
Researchers probe the mechanics of tumor cells with atomic force microscopy and explore the technique as a diagnostic tool.
C&EN Talks With Susan Marie Frontczak p. 37
Scientist-storyteller draws career and outreach lessons from Marie Curie's life, and her own. (With Videos)
Science & Technology Concentrates pp. 32-33
- Safer Synthesis Of Fluorophosphate Crystals
- Method for making analogs of metal oxides avoids hydrofluoric acid
- Biomass Burning Generates Isocyanic Acid
- Mass spectrometry method detects part-per-trillion levels of inflammation agent
- C-C Protein Crosslink Creates Substrate Pocket
- Novel structure found in microscopic algae protein
- Weak Acids Irritate Ion Channel
- Mechanism identifies action of acetic acid on cell membrane
- Metathesis Catalyst Catches A Few More Zs
- Revised version of ruthenium catalyst improves selectivity for Z alkenes in olefin metathesis reactions
- Spotting Clotting
- Detection strategy for blood clot regulator combines oligonucleotide, fluorescent probe and reversible inhibitor
- Molecules Vanish In Nanotubes
- Molecular dipoles induce mirror-image nanotube dipole that screen molecules from IR light
- Natural Halocarbon In Boar Meat
- Fungi chemical could aid understanding of halogenated pollutants
» more science & technology news...
Meetings
Southwest Regional Meeting Call For Papers p. 40 (Member Content)
2011 C&EN Calendar Web Exclusive
C&EN's latest list of meetings and events of interest to those in the chemical community.
Editor's Page
Values Worth Defending p. 3
The Departments
Letters pp. 2, 4-6
Newscripts p. 48
Keeping Beer Bearable, More On Chemistry Kits, Tobacco Fun
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Environmental SCENE News
Fertilizer May Help Bacteria Slip Into Groundwater
Water Safety: High phosphate levels allow deadly microbes to pass through soil.
Bisphenol A Is Ubiquitous In Receipts
Endocrine Disrupters: Researchers detect BPA in every receipt that they collected from seven U.S. cities.
Sunlight Is An Effective Disinfectant
Public Health: Field work shows that a cheap water treatment method improves children's health.
House Takes Aim At Clean Air Act
Pollution: Industry backs cost-benefit analyses of EPA rules, but critics fear assault on public health.
Analytical SCENE News
New Method Isolates Membrane Proteins
Protein Purification: Technique separates proteins on a lipid bilayer.
Bisphenol A Is Ubiquitous In Receipts
Endocrine Disrupters: Researchers detect BPA in every receipt that they collected from seven U.S. cities.
Mapping Drugs In Human Tissue
Clinical Chemistry: Mass spectrometry imaging provides view of an inhaled drug in human lung tissue.
Skeletons Come To Light
Fluorescence Imaging: Monitoring cells as they dissolve bone may lead to disease treatments.
Analyzing Nuclear Processes
ACS Meeting News: Analytical chemists devise ways to watch radioactive streams.
JACS Research In C&EN
Indole Changeup Yields Elusive Alkaloid
ACS Meeting News: Cyclization and nitrene insertion star in synthesis.
Prefab Synthesis Moves Ahead
Organic Chemistry: First stable alpha-boryl aldehydes ease preparation of complex small molecules.
Multiple Bradykinin States Revealed
The peptide adopts at least 10 conformers in solution, explaining why its structure had only been partially characterized.
Scaling Up The Axinellamines
A quicker, more efficient, and stereocontrolled route to a key intermediate streamlines natural product syntheses.
A Revamped Vancomycin
Medicinal Chemistry: Modified compound shows promise against hard-to-treat bacteria.
CENtral Science
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