Follow us down memory lane for the best and worst trash of 2024! by Elinor Jones

Happy Holidays, Trash Pandas! ‘Tis I, Elinor Jones, AKA the Ghost of Trash Past, here to guide you through 2024—a year that I could best describe as “a year that happened.”

January 8 

I hate to break it to us, but despite anyone’s resolutions, this is probably not going to be a year when anybody becomes better. You know how in professional sports, when a bunch of the big names have retired or left and then it’s just rookies and no-names, they call it a “Rebuilding Year”? 2024 will be the opposite of that for us. A destroying year. All of us are going to get worse, it’s just a matter of how quickly, and how much. 

February 12

I am all about the monoculture and I love to love things, but I am so tired of football and Taylor Swift! No more brain space; I simply cannot. I mean look: Am I glad she made it to the game in time after her Tokyo shows? Yes. Do I think this was a challenge or hardship for her when she has her own airplane and team of professionals to ensure it happens comfortably and efficiently? No. Am I impressed that her lipstick always looks so damn good? Yes. Did I like her pants? No, I hated them. Do I think it’s hilarious that Republicans hate Taylor Swift so much that they’d rather root for the team out of San Francisco than the corn-fed midwestern one? Yes, a thousand times yes, this is incredible, put it in my veins. Will I listen to her new album? OBVIOUSLY. But that’s it! No more thoughts!!

April 1 

The world has gone country, and by that I mean we have all been listening to Beyoncé’s latest album Cowboy Carter all weekend. I’m a fan! Several years ago I found a pair of those magical thrift store cowboy boots that somehow both fit perfectly and are extremely cool, and I always knew there was a reason to hang on to them. I’m excited to plan an outfit to wear to her next concert that probably won’t come anywhere near Portland anyway. A girl can dream. That’s country. 

April 15 

[Regarding a possible Monopoly movie.] “What’s next, Checkers? Jenga? You wanna make a Jenga movie? What, fuckin’ CONNECT FOUR?” And I will stop you right there, because that one works. Four is the correct number for a collection of people. It’s the best table in a restaurant—no pulling up an extra chair for some poor schmuck to sit at one end. Four is the maximum number of heads that will fit into a photobooth picture. Four is how many adults fit comfortably in a car. So let’s talk about this Connect Four movie: I am seeing three friends realize that something is missing and they desperately seek a fourth, but they keep being blocked by outside forces, until finally, one day, through either meticulous planning or pure dumb luck, the pieces line up just so, and they find their fourth friend, thus creating a powerful block which shall emerge victorious! “But Elinor,” you say. “Is this not the plot of the 1990s supernatural teen thriller THE CRAFT?” To which I say: “DING FUCKING DING.” A Connect Four movie already exists, it stars Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell, and it’s perfect!

May 13 

First Lady Jill Biden stopped in Portland last week to attend a quick fundraiser in Lake Oswego. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was there, and later told the press “it’s nice to see the First Lady supporting our city and taking an interest in what we do here.” Buddy! She wasn’t even in our city! Was there nowhere decent in Portland proper for her to glad-hand wealthy Democrats? You know, I almost think she was trying to keep away from the riffraff by going to Lake Oswego, and that is especially not “what we do here.” In Portland, riffraff is the name of the game!

May 20 

Rudy Giuliani somehow (and for days) evaded Arizona officials trying to serve him an indictment for his (alleged) 2020 election crimes. I could use a lot of words to describe Rudy Giuliani, but “indiscreet” and “stealthy” are definitely not among them. I feel like one could locate Rudy Giuliani using whatever magic makes a cartoon mouse float towards cheese, but the wafting odor is a mix of cigars, cologne, and farts. Alas, the man was found, and at his own 80th birthday party. Giuliani even shared an absolutely psychotic Amazon wish list of the stuff he wanted, which included “stain blocking ceiling paint.” That Giuliani worries about his ceiling getting dirty really captures the explosive gooeyness of this chapter in his life.

June 10

Sabrina Carpenter released a fun and steamy video for her new single “Please Please Please” which features boyfriend Barry Keoghan. These two are giving the sultry slutty young relaysh vibes they were trying to sell us with Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney last year. I could never fully get behind those two because they look like they were generated by an AI prompt of “hot white heteros.” Barry and Sabrina are hot too, but also interesting, sexy, a little dangerous, and maybe kinda mean? Like Glen and Sydney would break your heart by ghosting you, but they’d never tell anyone else your secrets, whereas Barry and Sabrina would get a tattoo of your name and then try to run over you with their car.

June 17 

The AtmosFEAR ride at Oak’s Park got stuck upside down last week, leaving some 30 people stuck upside down for 25 minutes. Roller coaster-avoiders like me will get YEARS of excuses out of this. It’s not that we’re scared; it’s that we’re smart. (We’re also very scared.)

July 8 

Gwyneth Paltrow held a party at her home in the Hamptons and somebody got diarrhea. I’m sorry, not just diarrhea—"catastrophic” diarrhea, which is a pretty horrifying combination of words! The diarrhea was allegedly caused by Ozempic, which all the stars are taking, so think about this the next time you see a star-studded red carpet: know that the bathrooms at that event are a grade-A paint show, and you’re lucky you’re not there.

July 15

Iconic sex therapist Dr. Ruth passed away last week at the age of 96. There was not a major event she couldn’t make into a reason to get laid, and it’s really a shame she died before this attempted assassination of Donald Trump; she would have made it so horny. 

August 5

I am loving the Olympics! God, the amount of pride I feel for the US Olympics Team is overwhelming; borderline ew, like am I becoming a flag girlie? Seeing tacky bedazzled Republicans at the RNC a couple weeks ago made me want to hurl, but throw some gemstones on a leotard and I am in line. I’ve been especially tickled by the vibes of the shooting competitors despite hating guns with every fiber of my being. The gun lobby might be appealing to the wrong instincts in trying to garner support. I mean, has the NRA ever considered simply serving cunt? 

August 26

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance is trying to prove he’s not weird and failing spectacularly. He recently stopped by a donut shop where the workers didn’t want to be on camera and ordered “whatever makes sense,” for which he has been mercilessly mocked. And look, I get it: When JD Vance orders “whatever makes sense” it sounds like a robot prepping for his first day of human school. That said, I do think this makes sense! I like the idea of ordering “~items~.” Put “whatever makes sense” on the late-night menu at a bar and I guarantee you it will go gangbusters. Sometimes you’ll get a vat of french fries and a pitcher of beer. Other times you’ll get a Sprite and two ibuprofen. Credit where credit is due—this couch-fucker might be on to something! 

September 16

Actor James Earl Jones passed away last week at the age of 93. He was the last good Jones. Now it’s just me. And my Mufasa voice is shit.

October 14

The widow of Bobby Kennedy and mother of presidential candidate RFK Jr., Ethel Kennedy, passed away last week at the age of 96. I think if the son of a deceased person repeatedly requests that the casket not be locked and sealed, you gotta wonder what he’s got planned for that corpse.

What wonders will these final days of 2024 have in store for us? I have absolutely no idea, but you can guarantee that I’ll be around to make a silly joke about it (hopefully!) I hope your -ber months are safe, warm, and cute.

Santa-ly,

[Inter-Korea] :
People who suffer damages as a result of North Korea’s trash balloon campaign will eventually be eligible for government compensation. The National Assembly passed an amendment to the Framework Act on Civil Defense during a plenary session Thursday, allowing the government to provide compensation for ...

[more...]

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 12:00pm
Location: Dental & W.K. Kellogg Institute
Organized By: Office of Research School of Dentistry

Oral Health Sciences Seminar Series

Leveraging Focused Ultrasound to Drive Tissue Regeneration via On-Demand Modulation of Microenvironmental Cues

Mario L. Fabiilli, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Radiology
Department of Biomedical Engineering

Thursday, November 14, 2024
12:00 – 1:00pm
DENT G550
Host: Dr. Renny Franceschi
Sponsored by TEAM

*CE credit will be given to the School of Dentistry Faculty. If you would like CE credit, please sign in at the seminar

Los investigadores sospechan que estuvo escondido en zonas de bosque. Él mismo explicó al llamar a la Guardia Civil que no podía soportar la presión de la búsqueda Leer

Los otros dos ocupantes huyeron hacia el interior del Coto, mientras que dos agentes han resultado heridos leves con contusiones Leer

Desde hace años España es un mapa lleno de chinchetas que marcan los casos de corrupción política. María Antonia Munar es un personaje poco conocido fuera de las Baleares. Otrora todopoderosa presidenta del Parlament y del Consell de Mallorca, el juez la envíó a prisión a finales de julio del pasado año. 

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] said they are “thrilled to be a part of this year’s ‘Cash Trash Bash’ fundraiser.” A spokesperson said, “In its seventh year, this annual marine clean, led by Karen Plianthos and her family, raises awareness for ocean conservation and has removed close to 15,000 pounds of trash from our […]

A news story about an unclaimed lottery prize in Missouri rescued a $1 million Powerball ticket from ending up in the winner's trash can.

Greenman, J W; Rainbird, R H; Turner, E C. Precambrian Research vol. 346, 105816, 2020 p. 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105816
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20200113.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20200113.jpg" title="Precambrian Research vol. 346, 105816, 2020 p. 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105816" height="150" border="1" /></a>

El presidente de Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, ha manifestado su deseo de proponer al gobierno central una agenda clara destinada a mejorar la colaboración institucional con las comunidades autónomas. Este anuncio se realizó durante la firma de convenios con la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha y la Universidad de Alcalá, en la que García-Page abordó la […]

Artículo publicado en : Page Propondrá Agenda de Armonización para Mejorar Colaboración Autonómica Tras Emergencia

La alcaldesa de Mira, Miriam Lava, ha tomado cartas en el asunto tras la devastación causada por la reciente DANA que afectó gravemente a su municipio. En un esfuerzo por mitigar el impacto sufrido por las familias vulnerables, muchas de ellas de nacionalidad rumana, Lava ha firmado un Protocolo de Colaboración en Emergencia con la […]

Artículo publicado en : Atender a Familias Vulnerables y Recuperar Servicios Esenciales: Prioridades en Mira Tras la DANA

Séance photo d’identité cette après-midi. Tout va très vite. Le photographe me tire le portrait sous 5 ou 6 angles différents en moins d’une minute. Il change ensuite de casquette et se transforme en retoucheur d’images sur photoshop. Ses doigts volent...

I bought a new domain! Woo Hoo! Thanks to KB for helping me out... I had thought of the name before, but he suggested it again and got me to agree to it. I will let all of you know...

Onlinetravelextras.com Cheap Travel Insurance

Frederica compares seeing a baby via sonogram to angels seeing us from heaven.

Fr. John discusses the ways in which iconography was defined and produced in Byzantine Christendom.

El Padre Nicolás predicó sobre cómo Dios nos sana. Father Nicholas preached on how God heals us.

Pres. Maria Drossos, Director of Operations, describes what makes St. John the Compassionate Mission unique and different from the outside world.

Comme on devait s’y attendre, l’attentat de Strasbourg n’a pas manqué, s’il en était encore besoin, de charrier son lot de rumeurs complotistes. Un regard rapide sur les réseaux sociaux de toute nature suffit à se rendre compte de ce triste phénomène....

Random Photo: Trashy Love

Breast cancer awareness: A contrast of its history in PakistanAn ode to breast cancer awareness:

As the month of October comes to an end with its sea of pink ribbons, it has reminded us once again of a critical issue that deserves more than just symbolic gestures: breast cancer awareness....

"He puts himself in some bad situations, which he needs to learn from those. But we just love how combative he is."

The post Are the Bruins making the right call sending Matt Poitras to Providence? appeared first on Boston.com.

"The Drama," set to film in Boston throughout the fall, is seeking extras with "distinctive faces" now through the end of November.

The post The new Zendaya and Robert Pattinson movie filming in Boston needs extras appeared first on Boston.com.

Sacramento, CA — In an effort to “enhance commercial vehicle safety” and “create consistency between state and federal regulations,” the California Highway Patrol is proposing the state adopt regulations requiring the use of electronic logging devices for commercial motor vehicle carriers involved in intrastate operations.

Raleigh, NC — An estimated 781 to 1,484 needlestick-related injuries – a rate of 2.7 per 100 workers – occur annually at solid waste and recycling material recovery facilities, according to a recent report from the Environmental Research and Education Foundation and the Solid Waste Association of North America.

London — Use of wheeled waste collection bins – instead of bags, boxes or baskets – may reduce musculoskeletal injuries and lost worktime among sanitation workers, according to a recent study out of the United Kingdom.

Adelaide, Australia — Open toilet lids, defective plumbing drains and uncovered trash cans may increase the risk of bacterial and viral disease transmission in public restrooms, according to a recent research review.

Tagatose, a monosaccharide that has gained popularity for its ability to meet calorie-reduction targets without compromising taste, texture or function, attained the NutraStrong™ Prebiotic Verified certification.

The post Ultrasound Neuromodulation of the Brain for Alcohol Use Disorder was curated by information for practice.

Worried? Try putting your head deep into this garbage gossip can for a few minutes. by Elinor Jones

Hello, and welcome back to the Trash Report! Like many people with mental illness, my home is a reflection of what is happening with the ol' brain—when depression is in the driver's seat, my house gets messy; when anxiety is calling the shots, the palace is pristine. And friends, being ONE DAY away from yet ANOTHER "most crucial presidential election of our time," I am literally out of things to organize! There is no more dust. I'm ironing? Your girl is not okay. I love this column for an excuse to look at something besides another very frightening poll, so let's get to the trash!

As this election plummets to its final resting place, Kamala Harris has collected endorsements from such luminaries as Cardi B, Bad Bunny, Eminem, Jennifer Lopez, Harrison Ford, and most of the Avengers.

I do believe that, despite this, she will win https://t.co/cOU7ZeWAKa

— Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) November 3, 2024

The most recent celebrity to come out for Trump was none other than the the famously antisemitic Mel Gibson, who shared his support only after Trump's Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden, which goes to prove just how much of a Nazi rally that definitely was.  

On a recent episode of his podcast, Ted Danson apologized to Kelsey Grammer for carrying a grudge since they worked together on Cheers. Grammer graciously accepted the apology. But I am not graciously receiving this "gossip." What happened?! What was the argument about? Why do this on a podcast without giving us the tea? This is the same kind of bullshit "this is not who we are" 2016-era dignity that no longer is the vibe. We're petty now! Tell us who was mean! Danson went on to say "I feel like I missed out on the last 30 years of Kelsey Grammer." What celebrity planet was Ted Danson living on because I feel like the rest of us have seen far too much Kelsey Grammer in the past 30 years. Streaming services were basically invented to avoid reruns of Frasier. 

In much more interesting feuds, Martha Stewart alluded to one between her and fellow kitchen and lifestyle guru Ina Garten. Garten had claimed in her recent memoir that the women drifted apart after one of them moved to Connecticut. Stewart agrees that the rift had to do with a move, but it was Stewart moving into a federal prison. I would imagine it could feel complicated to be a public figure being friends with a felon, but I can guarantee that if one of my friends went to jail for a non-violent crime I wouldn't stop talking to them! I'd probably talk way too much to them, in fact. I just have so many questions. If Martha Stewart and I had been friends who fell out and she later reflected on it, she would be like "Elinor was there for me when I was in jail, but she was too there for me, and wouldn't leave me alone, and I was sick of talking about prison toilet wine, so that's when our feud started."

The long-awaited sequel to The Gladiator is coming out soon and I could not have less interest in going to see it! That is, until Pedro Pascal revealed that he and Paul Mescal kissed in one take of a fight scene, and that might be the take they used in the movie, and I guess I'm going to go see Gladiator 2 now. Have the Wicked PR folks considered floating a rumor that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande kiss instead of hawking a green and pink version of every product on God's green earth? (And is there a pink earth? There probably will be soon!) 

At this point is there a category of merchandise that doesn’t have a Wicked tie-in? I’m half expecting my gynecologist to ask whether I want a pink or green speculum.

— Anika Chapin (@AnikaChapin) October 31, 2024

Channing Tatum and Zoe Kravitz have allegedly called off their engagement after three years together, and just days after Tatum finally ended his years-long divorce saga with ex Jenna Dewan. This makes me think that Zoe Kravitz for sure never thought that Tatum's divorce would ever be finalized when she said yes to that ring. Tatum has been spotted around New York City smoking cigarettes, but holding them in a way that makes me think he hasn't smoked before; starting smoking at 44 is hilarious, but also very hot and chic!

In other rebound choices, Gisele Bunchen revealed that she is pregnant with her third child, which will be her first since getting divorced from Tom Brady, and the first with her boyfriend, who is also her longtime Jiu-Jitsu instructor. Tom Brady is reacting to it like any normal 30-year-old woman and posting Fleetwood Mac lyrics to his Instagram which is the most I've ever liked him. 

Helen Mirren recently waxed poetically about tragic losses of beloved icons, specifically Kurt Cobain, and specifically that Kurt Cobain's early demise in the 90s meant that he never got to experience the magic that is a GPS system. Iconic music producer Quincy Jones passed away just yesterday. He would have seen GPS. Does Helen Mirren not think this is as sad of a loss, because at least he died with the immense satisfaction of having watched a little dot that represented his car being driven towards a destination, thus making it a full and worthwhile life? Helen Mirren has yet to comment. 

A Sam's Club in Maryland had to shut down last week due to a racoon breaking into their bakery. A statement from the store read "after attempts to locate the raccoon were unsuccessful, Sam's Club representatives were advised best practices to properly capture the animal." Which means that during the initial attempts to capture the animal, they had no idea what the best practices were, and it must have been so funny. Imagine that raccoon's surprise to learn that there is a way to eat croissants, pre-trash? Going back to garbage pastries after that has got to be a bummer. Anyway, as the kids say, "in da clerb we all fam," but the clerb is a Sam's Club. Sam's Clerb, as it were.

Okay, I just realized there's a bookshelf in my office that I haven't yet reorganized and if I don't do that right now it will make it so college-educated women in Michigan won't turn out in numbers, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. I hope you get through the next few days okay. If you process stress by being around people, the Mercury is going to hold an election night party hosted by the more extroverted of us. Meanwhile, we indoor kids will be live-blogging as the night goes on, so check back here if that's something you can handle. Thank you for reading and for voting and for being cherished members of the dumpster pile. 

Nervously,

by Elinor Jones

What's happening Trash Pandas? Welcome back to the Trash Report. I am Elinor Jones and I am not doing well! Lucky for us, things have been shitty often enough and recently enough that we can disassociate and do our silly little activities. How fortunate we are to live in times that challenge us! JK! I hate it!!

Well my friends, I guess we didn't coconut hard enough, because Donald Trump is headed back to the White House. A lot of people will have a lot of thoughtful breakdowns in the coming weeks and months about what went wrong, but it seems pretty obvious to me that we live in a country that hates women—Black women especially—and they like Trump. It sucks, but usually the simplest explanation is the correct one. Ad buys in Pennsylvania or door knocking in Michigan wouldn't have changed the fact that people hate women and like Trump, and even if they didn't totally love Trump, they were at least more comfortable with him in power than with a woman. Democrats spent a billion dollars to try to educate voters on why Trump is bad, but it didn't work; people know he's bad, they just don't care, or they like that part about him. They like how Trump talks more than they like the way Democrats talk, especially Democrats who are women. This handwringing about like "oh, if only people understood the real issues" and like: no. We're past that. Issues don't matter. Not only do people not care, but it also makes Democrats even less likable when we're trying to scold them over to our side. During one of my spirals I realized how weird it is that there isn't even a phrase like "owning the libs" for chuds? Like, us bullying them into silence or an embarrassing hissy fit isn't even on the damn table. Why is that? What are we doing? In hindsight the best messaging of the entire campaign was when everybody laughed at J.D. Vance for fucking a couch; if we could have had more like that in play instead of Liz fucking Cheney reminding us that Kamala Harris is pro-military and celebrities who will never worry about money insisting that Biden's economy is good, actually, we probably could have could probably have gotten some people (who voted only off vibes) to like ours better, although probably not enough to convince people not to hate women. As you can tell, I am very, very angry! Most of it is directed at Joe Biden. He should have run in 2016, he should not have run in 2020, he shouldn't have attempted a reelection campaign this year, and then he should have dropped out faster when the writing was on the wall after the debate in June. End rant. (For now. There's still a lot of juice in this tank, and it's gonna be a loooong four years.)

Trump promised RFK Jr a role overseeing health in his new administration, and the first order of business floated is removing fluoride from our nation's drinking water. This captured headlines for its absurdity. "Why in the world would we not take such an easy and impactful action to help everybody, but especially poor children, have healthier teeth? What anti-science freakshows would take issue with fluoride in the water?" "Wow, yeah, totally," said the city of Portland as we pulled our shirt collars up around our faces and sought an immediate exit from the conversation. Being part of a Venn diagram where one circle is RFK Jr. and the other circle is Portland and the middle part is "fluoride = bad" is not a good look for us.

In other news, fans allege that someone attending a recent Sabrina Carpenter concert squatted and peed in the middle of the pit before the show started. Knowing that Carpenter had just played in Portland, when I saw the headline about someone being gross at a show, I immediately assumed that it happened here. I was wrong—it was San Francisco—but that is the kind of national news I'd like our city to make and not "RFK Jr approves of Portland's municipal health initiatives." Let's go back to "Portland Sucks." Nationally, it's an easier place for us to be.

The thing that might divide my family this Thanksgiving is not politics—we are all aligned there, thank God—but whether we should first see Moana 2 or Wicked. We are leaning Moana 2, mostly because this Disney sequel is shockingly not the one unleashing inescapable product tie-ins everywhere I look. Speaking of which, the folks at Mattel did so by putting a link to a porn site on the packaging for some Glinda and Elphaba dolls and had to apologize and issue a recall. LOL. I can imagine the exhausted and overworked marketing associate who's trying to stave off sleep by occasionally watching some adult content and deliriously copy-pasting the wrong link. Look, you mass produce 10,000 different green and pink items, you're bound to screw up something.  

In other Wicked news, director Jon Chu missed the LA premiere because his wife went into labor and gave birth to a baby girl. The baby is the couple's fifth; a full three of those five children were born during the development and filming of Wicked. His wife may have told him she was proud of him, but her body was clearly saying "no sir, we are not doing that anymore." And she feels like five kids is plenty, but knows that Wicked 2 is only a year away and is debating whether a sixth baby could keep that press buzz out of their family life.

Grammy nominations came out last week, and women came out on top. Imagine if Kamala Harris won the White House during the same week that Beyoncé became the most nominated artist in Grammy history? We could have been so happy, and so annoying. Etsy would have gotten absolutely filthy with throw pillow bearing feminist catchphrases. This column would have been damn near unreadable, even more so than usual. The gods took a look at us American women as our souls threatened to leave our bodies with how badly we (at least most of us) needed a win, and said "they simply cannot have both things" and went with Grammys instead of the presidency, which isn't the direction I would have gone, but I am not a god. Yet.

A passenger got video of a raccoon falling out of the ceiling at La Guardia airport in New York City. La Guardia had just been named America's Best Airport, taking the coveted spot that PDX usually holds, and you know what? I agree. We simply need more raccoons. Trash Pandas: assemble.

Meanwhile down in South Carolina, 43 monkeys escaped a research facility and are currently on the loose. Authorities are advising residents to lock their windows, and I would definitely have a hard time doing that. I think they would like me. It's like how at Yellowstone they have to put up all the signs advising people not to approach bears. While I understand the reason for the signs, I also believe that I am a person who a bear would allow to pet it. I think monkeys would feel the same way. Any other indoor kids read Summer of the Monkeys? It's a book about a circus train that derailed and a bunch of monkeys got loose and they finally trusted one young man to return them to captivity. I think I could be that young man. Call me, South Carolina. 

I'm gonna be honest, Trash Pandas: I could keep writing this column all night. I didn't want to start working on it, but as I've been writing, and reflecting, and trying to put words to all the big things I feel, I have to admit that Doing Something does feel better than doing nothing, even though doing nothing is so tempting. We may not have fluoridated water, and we may not be pissing on the floors at arena concerts (yet), but we have each other, and I'm very grateful for that.

Togetherly,

There has been much talk and concern regarding so-called Christian Nationalism in the past several years.

Accurate modeling of conformational energies is key to the crystal structure prediction of conformational polymorphs. Focusing on molecules XXXI and XXXII from the seventh blind test of crystal structure prediction, this study employs various electronic structure methods up to the level of domain-local pair natural orbital coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples [DLPNO-CCSD(T1)] to benchmark the conformational energies and to assess their impact on the crystal energy landscapes. Molecule XXXI proves to be a relatively straightforward case, with the conformational energies from generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional B86bPBE-XDM changing only modestly when using more advanced density functionals such as PBE0-D4, ωB97M-V, and revDSD-PBEP86-D4, dispersion-corrected second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (SCS-MP2D), or DLPNO-CCSD(T1). In contrast, the conformational energies of molecule XXXII prove difficult to determine reliably, and variations in the computed conformational energies appreciably impact the crystal energy landscape. Even high-level methods such as revDSD-PBEP86-D4 and SCS-MP2D exhibit significant disagreements with the DLPNO-CCSD(T1) benchmarks for molecule XXXII, highlighting the difficulty of predicting conformational energies for complex, drug-like molecules. The best-converged predicted crystal energy landscape obtained here for molecule XXXII disagrees significantly with what has been inferred about the solid-form landscape experimentally. The identified limitations of the calculations are probably insufficient to account for the discrepancies between theory and experiment on molecule XXXII, and further investigation of the experimental solid-form landscape would be valuable. Finally, assessment of several semi-empirical methods finds r2SCAN-3c to be the most promising, with conformational energy accuracy intermediate between the GGA and hybrid functionals and a low computational cost.

Bone material contains a hierarchical network of micro- and nano-cavities and channels, known as the lacuna-canalicular network (LCN), that is thought to play an important role in mechanobiology and turnover. The LCN comprises micrometer-sized lacunae, voids that house osteocytes, and submicrometer-sized canaliculi that connect bone cells. Characterization of this network in three dimensions is crucial for many bone studies. To quantify X-ray Zernike phase-contrast nanotomography data, deep learning is used to isolate and assess porosity in artifact-laden tomographies of zebrafish bones. A technical solution is proposed to overcome the halo and shade-off domains in order to reliably obtain the distribution and morphology of the LCN in the tomographic data. Convolutional neural network (CNN) models are utilized with increasing numbers of images, repeatedly validated by `error loss' and `accuracy' metrics. U-Net and Sensor3D CNN models were trained on data obtained from two different synchrotron Zernike phase-contrast transmission X-ray microscopes, the ANATOMIX beamline at SOLEIL (Paris, France) and the P05 beamline at PETRA III (Hamburg, Germany). The Sensor3D CNN model with a smaller batch size of 32 and a training data size of 70 images showed the best performance (accuracy 0.983 and error loss 0.032). The analysis procedures, validated by comparison with human-identified ground-truth images, correctly identified the voids within the bone matrix. This proposed approach may have further application to classify structures in volumetric images that contain non-linear artifacts that degrade image quality and hinder feature identification.

Large-bandwidth pulses produced by cutting-edge X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) are of great importance in research fields like material science and biology. In this paper, a new method to generate high-power ultrashort FEL pulses with tunable spectral bandwidth with spectral coherence using a dielectric-lined waveguide without interfering operation of linacs is proposed. By exploiting the passive and dephasingless wakefield at terahertz frequency excited by the beam, stable energy modulation can be achieved in the electron beam and large-bandwidth high-intensity soft X-ray radiation can be generated. Three-dimensional start-to-end simulations have been carried out and the results show that coherent radiation pulses with duration of a few femtoseconds and bandwidths ranging from 1.01% to 2.16% can be achieved by changing the undulator taper profile.

X-rays can penetrate deeply into biological cells and thus allow for examination of their internal structures with high spatial resolution. In this study, X-ray phase-contrast imaging and tomography is combined with an X-ray-compatible optical stretcher and microfluidic sample delivery. Using this setup, individual cells can be kept in suspension while they are examined with the X-ray beam at a synchrotron. From the recorded holograms, 2D phase shift images that are proportional to the projected local electron density of the investigated cell can be calculated. From the tomographic reconstruction of multiple such projections the 3D electron density can be obtained. The cells can thus be studied in a hydrated or even living state, thus avoiding artifacts from freezing, drying or embedding, and can in principle also be subjected to different sample environments or mechanical strains. This combination of techniques is applied to living as well as fixed and stained NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts and the effect of the beam energy on the phase shifts is investigated. Furthermore, a 3D algebraic reconstruction scheme and a dedicated mathematical description is used to follow the motion of the trapped cells in the optical stretcher for multiple rotations.

Two-directional beam-tracking (2DBT) is a method for phase-contrast imaging and tomography that uses an intensity modulator to structure the X-ray beam into an array of independent circular beamlets that are resolved by a high-resolution detector. It features isotropic spatial resolution, provides two-dimensional phase sensitivity, and enables the three-dimensional reconstructions of the refractive index decrement, δ, and the attenuation coefficient, μ. In this work, the angular sensitivity and the spatial resolution of 2DBT images in a synchrotron-based implementation is reported. In its best configuration, angular sensitivities of ∼20 nrad and spatial resolution of at least 6.25 µm in phase-contrast images were obtained. Exemplar application to the three-dimensional imaging of soft tissue samples, including a mouse liver and a decellularized porcine dermis, is also demonstrated.

A series of organotin heterocycles of general formula [{Me2C(C6H3CH2)2O}SnR2] [R = methyl (Me, 4), n-butyl (n-Bu, 5), benzyl (Bn, 6) and phenyl (Ph, 7)] was easily synthesized by a Barbier-type reaction assisted by the sonochemical activation of metallic magnesium. The 119Sn{1H} NMR data for all four com­pounds confirm the presence of a central Sn atom in a four-coordinated environment in solution. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies for 17,17-dimethyl-7,7-di­phenyl-15-oxa-7-stanna­tetra­cyclo­[11.3.1.05,16.09,14]hepta­deca-1,3,5(16),9(14),10,12-hexa­­ene, [Sn(C6H5)2(C17H16O)], 7, at 100 and 295 K con­firmed the formation of a mono­nuclear eight-membered heterocycle, with a conformation depicted as boat–chair, resulting in a weak Sn⋯O inter­action. The Sn and O atoms are surrounded by hydro­phobic C—H bonds. A Hirshfeld surface analysis of 7 showed that the eight-membered heterocycles are linked by weak C—H⋯π, π–π and H⋯H noncovalent inter­actions. The pairwise inter­action energies showed that the cohesion between the heterocycles are mainly due to dispersion forces.

The development of instrumentation as well as applications for megahertz X-ray phase contrast imaging at the Single Particles, Clusters, and Biomolecules and Serial Femtosecond Crystallography instrument of the European XFEL are introduced here.

This review focuses on low-dose near-field X-ray speckle phase imaging in the differential mode introducing the existing algorithms with their specifications and comparing their performances under various experimental conditions.

In this work, we showed that the use of ethanol to increase image contrast when imaging cardiac tissue with synchrotron X-ray phase-contrast imaging (X-PCI) leads to heterogeneous tissue shrinkage, which has an impact on the 3D organization of the myocardium.

Dark-field X-ray microscopy (DFXM) is a full-field imaging technique that non-destructively maps the structure and local strain inside deeply embedded crystalline elements in three dimensions. In DFXM, an objective lens is placed along the diffracted beam to generate a magnified projection image of the local diffracted volume. This work explores contrast methods and optimizes the DFXM setup specifically for the case of mapping dislocations. Forward projections of detector images are generated using two complementary simulation tools based on geometrical optics and wavefront propagation, respectively. Weak and strong beam contrast and the mapping of strain components are studied. The feasibility of observing dislocations in a wall is elucidated as a function of the distance between neighbouring dislocations and the spatial resolution. Dislocation studies should be feasible with energy band widths of 10−2, of relevance for fourth-generation synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser sources.

Propagation-based phase contrast, for example in the form of edge enhancement contrast, is well established within X-ray imaging but is not widely used in neutron imaging. This technique can help increase the contrast of low-attenuation samples but may confuse quantitative absorption measurements. Therefore, it is important to understand the experimental parameters that cause and amplify or dampen this effect in order to optimize future experiments properly. Two simulation approaches have been investigated, a wave-based simulation and a particle-based simulation conducted in McStas [Willendrup & Lefmann (2020). J. Neutron Res. 22, 1–16], and they are compared with experimental data. The experiment was done on a sample of metal foils with weakly and strongly neutron absorbing layers, which were measured while varying the rotation angle and propagation distance from the sample. The experimental data show multiple signals: attenuation, phase contrast and reflection. The wave model reproduces the sample attenuation and the phase peaks but it does not reproduce the behavior of these peaks as a function of rotation angle. The McStas simulation agrees better with the experimental data, as it reproduces attenuation, phase peaks and reflection, as well as the change in these signals as a function of rotation angle and distance. This suggests that the McStas simulation approach, where the particle description of the neutron facilitates the incorporation of multiple effects, is the most convenient way of modeling edge enhancement in neutron imaging.

Resolve Optics is a developer and supplier of high contrast short wavelength infrared (SWIR) lenses for agricultural sorting applications.