Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Advancing Health Equity for Medical Devices
Proposed reforms to the FDA's Breakthrough Medical Devices program provide an opportunity to examine challenges and potential solutions for addressing health disparities in medical device development.
A direct observation of up-converted room-temperature phosphorescence in an anti-Kasha dopant-matrix system
It is common sense that emission maxima of phosphorescence spectra (λP) are longer than those of fluorescence spectra (λF). We report a serendipitous finding of up-converted room-temperature phosphorescence with λP < λF and phosphorescence lifetime > 0.1 s in dopant-matrix systems.
A Story of Survivor's Guilt: The Water Crisis in Jackson, Mississippi
Just before my dad passed away in December of 2016, we took one final drive around my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. We visited our old neighborhoods, my childhood homes, and my old schools. Things had not gotten better since I’d left Jackson, some 20 years before. In fact, they’d gotten worse.
Lab-scale UV-Vis Spectroscopy Monitors Oxidation State Changes in Materials for Energy Storage
We report the use of affordable and widely-available UV-Vis spectroscopy to monitor redox activities during charge storage. The data allowed us to distinguish charge storage mechanisms and quantify the oxidation state changes, similar to synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy.
Using photons as neurotransmitters in C. elegans
The connectivity between individual neurons is fundamental to neuronal networks and brain function. Here, we replace the flavor of chemical neurotransmission with the color of photons emitted from presynaptic luciferases and light-gated ion channels in the postsynapse.
Stereoselective conjugate cyanation of enals by combining photoredox and organocatalysis
By combining asymmetric organocatalysis and photoredox catalysis, we report an “umpolung” strategy for the first enantioselective β-cyanation of enals without formation of cyanohydrin. This strategy also enabled asymmetric formation of 1,6-dicarbonyl compounds through cross-electrophile coupling.
The hidden role of food behind the drought-conflicts nexus in Central America
Extreme events related to water can affect human security in many ways. The interconnection among climate, water resources and violent conflicts is particularly complex, because of the important role played by political and socio-economic dynamics.
