ba What Is Boba? Everything to Know About Bubble Tea By recipes.howstuffworks.com Published On :: Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:19:10 -0400 You're not alone if you've ever found yourself wondering, "What is boba?" This food trend has taken the drink market by storm, enchanting tea enthusiasts and curious foodies alike. Full Article
ba 10 Sweetest Apples to Bake, Make Applesauce, or Eat Fresh By recipes.howstuffworks.com Published On :: Wed, 21 Aug 2024 10:15:02 -0400 Apples are nature's delicious and nutritious candy, with a staggering 7,500 varieties grown around the globe. Even the sweetest apples are healthy alternatives to sugary sweets — making them a great way to indulge your cravings without racking up the calories. Whether you're a fan of the crisp, refreshing crunch or more the type to bake the fruit into an apple pie, you really can't go wrong. Full Article
ba Babymonster to kick off first global fan meet this week By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-05-06 Rookie girl group Babymonster will embark on its first global fan meet tour this week. “Babymonster Presents: See You There” will begin in Tokyo on May 11. The tour will also travel to Jakarta,...[more...] Full Article
ba Nayeon of TWICE makes comeback with 2nd solo EP By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-06-17 TWICE’s Nayeon has made a comeback with her 2nd solo EP.“Na” is the singer’s first solo release in two years since the release of her debut solo album “Im Nayeon” in July 2022. The...[more...] Full Article
ba Seventeen becomes UNESCO's first Goodwill Ambassador for Youth By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-06-17 Seventeen has become the 1st K-pop group to be appointed UNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador for Youth. It is also the first time UNESCO has designated a youth ambassador. Seventeen has been supporting the...[more...] Full Article
ba FTIsland to Make Comeback on July 10 By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-06-27 Band FTIsland will make a comeback with their seventh full-length album in July.The group's agency FNC Entertainment released the band's promotion schedule for the album 'Serious' through its official...[more...] Full Article
ba STAYC to Make Comeback in October By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-10-08 +09:00 STAYC will be making a comeback this month. The group’s label, High Up Entertainment, has confirmed that the group will be making a comeback on October 30. It added that the group is...[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba Rosé to Make Solo Comeback in December By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-10-15 +09:00 Rosé will make a solo comeback in December.The Blackpink member will release her first solo studio album on Dec. 6. Titled, “rosie” the album will include 12 tracks, including the...[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba G-Dragon Rumored to be Making Comeback By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-10-15 +09:00 G-Dragon is rumored to be making a solo comeback this month. He was reportedly shooting a music video last week, with local media outlets speculating his comeback will take place in late...[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba G-Dragon Writes Rrack for Babymonster's Upcoming Album By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-10-15 +09:00 G-Dragon has helped write a song for Babymonster’s upcoming full-length album which will drop next month. The rookie girl group’s first full-length album “Drip” will drop...[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba [4K] SEVENTEEN, CNBLUE, AB6IX, Billlie, SAY MY NAME, YENA, EPEX, VANNER, Xdinary Heroes, JD1 | On the way to music bank 241018 By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-10-18 +09:00 On the morning of October 18, at Yeoido KBS HallKBS WORLD Radio filmed K-pop stars making their way to attend rehearsals for Music Bank.[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba Infinite to Embark on Asia Tour in December By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-10-22 +09:00 Marking its 15th debut anniversary, Infinite will tour eight cities across Asia. The tour will kick off in Seoul on Dec. 6 with a three-day concert before traveling to Taipei, Macau, Jakarta and...[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba [4K] aespa, THE BOYZ, ITZY, STAYC, Kep1er, FIFTY FIFTY, tripleS VV, SAY MY NAME | On the way to music bank 241101 By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-11-01 +09:00 On the morning of November 1, at Yeoido KBS HallKBS WORLD Radio filmed K-pop stars making their way to attend rehearsals for Music Bank.[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba Jjimjilbang, Wonder Girls, and Food that Moves By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: 2024-11-13 +09:00 In Xander's first Good Vibes Only episode, YouTuber Joel Bennett joins to share his love for his new home Seoul, a city halfway across the globe. Watch as they hit it off instantly over their...[more...] Full Article Economy&It
ba When Was Soccer Invented? Roots Trace Back Over 2,000 Years By entertainment.howstuffworks.com Published On :: Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:10:02 -0500 Soccer, football — no matter what you call it, the world's most popular sport has a long and colorful history, from its ancient origins to its modern-day status as a global phenomenon. But when was soccer invented? How did it become the "beautiful game" that captivates millions today? Full Article
ba Minister Meets with Auto, Battery Industry Representatives ahead of Trump’s Second Term By world.kbs.co.kr Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:54:38 +0900 [Economy] : The minister of trade, industry and energy has met with automotive and battery industry representatives ahead of Donald Trump’s return to power in the U.S. The ministry announced on Wednesday that the meeting took place earlier in the day, with participants highlighting the importance of South Korean ...[more...] Full Article Economy
ba Urban geoscience - British Geological Survey By news.google.com Published On :: Thu, 24 Sep 2020 01:15:30 GMT Urban geoscience British Geological Survey Full Article
ba BGS updates national CO2 storage database - Agg-Net By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT BGS updates national CO2 storage database Agg-Net Full Article
ba The Geography Olympiad: Bandung, Indonesia - British Geological Survey By news.google.com Published On :: Fri, 22 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT The Geography Olympiad: Bandung, Indonesia British Geological Survey Full Article
ba Visit by Indonesian Embassy representatives to BGS - British Geological Survey By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 27 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT Visit by Indonesian Embassy representatives to BGS British Geological Survey Full Article
ba Delivering a sustainable urban future for Europe through geoscience - British Geological Survey By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 08 May 2024 16:17:43 GMT Delivering a sustainable urban future for Europe through geoscience British Geological Survey Full Article
ba Update released for BGS open-source database software, ETL Helper - British Geological Survey By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 09 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT Update released for BGS open-source database software, ETL Helper British Geological Survey Full Article
ba Review of honeycomb-based Kitaev materials with zigzag magnetic ordering By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Full Article text
ba Selective Acceleration and Inhibition of Crystal Growth of Glass Carbamazepine by Low-Concentration Poly(ethylene oxide):Effects of Drug Polymorph By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Low-concentration poly(ethylene oxide) exhibit the polymorph-dependent effects on both the surface and bulk crystal growth of carbamazepine polymorphs. These polymorph-dependent effects of PEO were mainly attributed to the polymer enrichment at the interface and different crystal surface-polymer interactions. Full Article text
ba Polymorph sampling with coupling to extended variables: enhanced sampling of polymorph energy landscapes and free energy perturbation of polymorph ensembles By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-10-15 A novel approach to computationally enhance the sampling of molecular crystal structures is proposed and tested. This method is based on the use of extended variables coupled to a Monte Carlo based crystal polymorph generator. Inspired by the established technique of quasi-random sampling of polymorphs using the rigid molecule constraint, this approach represents molecular clusters as extended variables within a thermal reservoir. Polymorph unit-cell variables are generated using pseudo-random sampling. Within this framework, a harmonic coupling between the extended variables and polymorph configurations is established. The extended variables remain fixed during the inner loop dedicated to polymorph sampling, enforcing a stepwise propagation of the extended variables to maintain system exploration. The final processing step results in a polymorph energy landscape, where the raw structures sampled to create the extended variable trajectory are re-optimized without the thermal coupling term. The foundational principles of this approach are described and its effectiveness using both a Metropolis Monte Carlo type algorithm and modifications that incorporate replica exchange is demonstrated. A comparison is provided with pseudo-random sampling of polymorphs for the molecule coumarin. The choice to test a design of this algorithm as relevant for enhanced sampling of crystal structures was due to the obvious relation between molecular structure variables and corresponding crystal polymorphs as representative of the inherent vapor to crystal transitions that exist in nature. Additionally, it is shown that the trajectories of extended variables can be harnessed to extract fluctuation properties that can lead to valuable insights. A novel thermodynamic variable is introduced: the free energy difference between ensembles of Z' = 1 and Z' = 2 crystal polymorphs. Full Article text
ba Synthesis and crystal structure of Ba2Y0.87(1)Mn1.71(1)Te5 By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-01-01 We report the structural characterization of a new quaternary telluride, Ba2Y0.87(1)Mn1.71(1)Te5, which was synthesized by the direct reaction of the elements inside a vacuum-sealed fused-silica tube. The quaternary phase is the first member of the Ba–M–Mn–Te system (M = Sc and Y). The composition and structure of the phase were elucidated using SEM–EDX (scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) studies. The title phase is nonstoichiometric and crystallizes in the monoclinic system (space group C2/m) having the refined unit-cell parameters a = 15.1466 (8), b = 4.5782 (3), c = 10.6060 (7) Å and β = 116.956 (2)°, with two formula units (Z = 2). The pseudo-two-dimensional crystal structure of Ba2Y0.87(1)Mn1.71(1)Te5 consists of distorted YTe6 octahedra and MnTe4 tetrahedra as the building blocks of the structure. The YTe6 octahedra are arranged to form infinite one-dimensional chains by sharing edges along the [010] direction. These chains are further connected to the MnTe4 tetrahedra along the c axis to create layered two-dimensional polyanionic [Y0.87(1)Mn1.71(1)Te5]4− units. The stuffing of Ba2+ cations in between the layers of [Y0.87(1)Mn1.71(1)Te5]4− anions brings the charge neutrality of the structure. Each Ba atom in the structure sits at the centre of a distorted monocapped trigonal prism-like polyhedron of seven Te atoms. Full Article text
ba Preliminary X-ray diffraction and ligand-binding analyses of the N-terminal domain of hypothetical protein Rv1421 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-06-27 Mycobacterium tuberculosis can reside and persist in deep tissues; latent tuberculosis can evade immune detection and has a unique mechanism to convert it into active disease through reactivation. M. tuberculosis Rv1421 (MtRv1421) is a hypothetical protein that has been proposed to be involved in nucleotide binding-related metabolism in cell-growth and cell-division processes. However, due to a lack of structural information, the detailed function of MtRv1421 remains unclear. In this study, a truncated N-terminal domain (NTD) of MtRv1421, which contains a Walker A/B-like motif, was purified and crystallized using PEG 400 as a precipitant. The crystal of MtRv1421-NTD diffracted to a resolution of 1.7 Å and was considered to belong to either the C-centered monoclinic space group C2 or the I-centered orthorhombic space group I222, with unit-cell parameters a = 124.01, b = 58.55, c = 84.87 Å, β = 133.12° or a = 58.53, b = 84.86, c = 90.52 Å, respectively. The asymmetric units of the C2 or I222 crystals contained two or one monomers, respectively. In terms of the binding ability of MtRv1421-NTD to various ligands, uridine diphosphate (UDP) and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine significantly increased the melting temperature of MtRv1421-NTD, which indicates structural stabilization through the binding of these ligands. Altogether, the results reveal that a UDP moiety may be required for the interaction of MtRv1421-NTD as a nucleotide-binding protein with its ligand. Full Article text
ba The structure of a pectin-active family 1 polysaccharide lyase from the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas fuliginea By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-06-27 Pseudoalteromonas fuliginea sp. PS47 is a recently identified marine bacterium that has extensive enzymatic machinery to metabolize polysaccharides, including a locus that targets pectin-like substrates. This locus contains a gene (locus tag EU509_03255) that encodes a pectin-degrading lyase, called PfPL1, that belongs to polysaccharide lyase family 1 (PL1). The 2.2 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of PfPL1 reveals the compact parallel β-helix fold of the PL1 family. The back side of the core parallel β-helix opposite to the active site is a meandering set of five α-helices joined by lengthy loops. A comparison of the active site with those of other PL1 enzymes suggests a catalytic mechanism that is independent of metal ions, such as Ca2+, but that substrate recognition may require metal ions. Overall, this work provides the first structural insight into a pectinase of marine origin and the first structure of a PL1 enzyme in subfamily 2. Full Article text
ba Crystallographic fragment screen of the c-di-AMP-synthesizing enzyme CdaA from Bacillus subtilis By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-08-23 Crystallographic fragment screening has become a pivotal technique in structure-based drug design, particularly for bacterial targets with a crucial role in infectious disease mechanisms. The enzyme CdaA, which synthesizes an essential second messenger cyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP) in many pathogenic bacteria, has emerged as a promising candidate for the development of novel antibiotics. To identify crystals suitable for fragment screening, CdaA enzymes from Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecium were purified and crystallized. Crystals of B. subtilis CdaA, which diffracted to the highest resolution of 1.1 Å, were used to perform the screening of 96 fragments, yielding data sets with resolutions spanning from 1.08 to 1.87 Å. A total of 24 structural hits across eight different sites were identified. Four fragments bind to regions that are highly conserved among pathogenic bacteria, specifically the active site (three fragments) and the dimerization interface (one fragment). The coordinates of the three active-site fragments were used to perform an in silico drug-repurposing screen using the OpenEye suite and the DrugBank database. This screen identified tenofovir, an approved drug, that is predicted to interact with the ATP-binding region of CdaA. Its inhibitory potential against pathogenic E. faecium CdaA has been confirmed by ITC measurements. These findings not only demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for identifying lead compounds for the design of novel antibacterial agents, but also pave the way for further fragment-based lead-optimization efforts targeting CdaA. Full Article text
ba Crystal structure of guanosine 5'-monophosphate synthetase from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8 By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-09-18 Guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP) synthetase (GuaA) catalyzes the last step of GMP synthesis in the purine nucleotide biosynthetic pathway. This enzyme catalyzes a reaction in which xanthine 5'-monophosphate (XMP) is converted to GMP in the presence of Gln and ATP through an adenyl-XMP intermediate. A structure of an XMP-bound form of GuaA from the domain Bacteria has not yet been determined. In this study, the crystal structure of an XMP-bound form of GuaA from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8 (TtGuaA) was determined at a resolution of 2.20 Å and that of an apo form of TtGuaA was determined at 2.10 Å resolution. TtGuaA forms a homodimer, and the monomer is composed of three domains, which is a typical structure for GuaA. Disordered regions in the crystal structure were obtained from the AlphaFold2-predicted model structure, and a model with substrates (Gln, XMP and ATP) was constructed for molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations. The structural fluctuations of the TtGuaA dimer as well as the interactions between the active-site residues were analyzed by MD simulations. Full Article text
ba Towards expansion of the MATTS data bank with heavier elements: the influence of the wavefunction basis set on the multipole model derived from the wavefunction By journals.iucr.org Published On :: This study examines the quality of charge density obtained by fitting the multipole model to wavefunctions in different basis sets. The complex analysis reveals that changing the basis set quality from double- to triple-zeta can notably improve the charge density related properties of a multipole model. Full Article text
ba Symmetry groups of the Batak basketweave patterns By journals.iucr.org Published On :: The symmetry groups of the weave patterns of the baskets, trays and mats of the Batak, an indigenous community in the Philippines, are discussed in this paper. The two-way twofold weaving technique is used by the Batak, and this study points to a total of 15 layer groups found in the Batak weaves out of the 80 layer groups known in crystallography. Full Article text
ba Modulating phase segregation during spin-casting of fullerene-based polymer solar-cell thin films upon minor addition of a high-boiling co-solvent By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Combined 100 ms resolved grazing-incidence small/wide-angle X-ray scattering and optical interferometry reveal that the additive diiodooctane can significantly double the solvent evaporation rate, thereby effectively suppressing the rapid spinodal decomposition process in the early stage of spin-coasting, favouring slow phase segregation kinetics with nucleation and growth. Full Article text
ba Optimal operation guidelines for direct recovery of high-purity precursor from spent lithium-ion batteries: hybrid operation model of population balance equation and data-driven classifier By journals.iucr.org Published On :: This study proposes an operation optimization framework for impurity-free recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries. Using a hybrid population balance equation integrated with a data-driven condition classifier, the study firstly identifies the optimal batch and semi-batch operation conditions that significantly reduce the operation time with 100% purity of product; detailed guidelines are given for industrial applications. Full Article text
ba Multimodal reconstruction of TbCo thin-film structure with Bayesian analysis of polarized neutron reflectivity By journals.iucr.org Published On :: For the first time, a multimodal reconstruction of a magnetic thin-film structure has been found using polarised neutron reflectivity. This has been achieved by implementing the Bayesian approach in combination with error correction based on the maximum likelihood method and instrument function optimization. Full Article text
ba Correlation of refractive index based and THz streaking arrival time tools for a hard X-ray free-electron laser By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-01-22 To fully exploit ultra-short X-ray pulse durations routinely available at X-ray free-electron lasers to follow out-of-equilibrium dynamics, inherent arrival time fluctuations of the X-ray pulse with an external perturbing laser pulse need to be measured. In this work, two methods of arrival time measurement were compared to measure the arrival time jitter of hard X-ray pulses. The methods were photoelectron streaking by a THz field and a transient refractive index change of a semiconductor. The methods were validated by shot-to-shot correction of a pump–probe transient reflectivity measurement. An ultimate shot-to-shot full width at half-maximum error between the devices of 19.2 ± 0.1 fs was measured. Full Article text
ba Finback: a web-based data collection system at SSRF biological macromolecular crystallography beamlines By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-01-19 An integrated computer software system for macromolecular crystallography (MX) data collection at the BL02U1 and BL10U2 beamlines of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility is described. The system, Finback, implements a set of features designed for the automated MX beamlines, and is marked with a user-friendly web-based graphical user interface (GUI) for interactive data collection. The Finback client GUI can run on modern browsers and has been developed using several modern web technologies including WebSocket, WebGL, WebWorker and WebAssembly. Finback supports multiple concurrent sessions, so on-site and remote users can access the beamline simultaneously. Finback also cooperates with the deployed experimental data and information management system, the relevant experimental parameters and results are automatically deposited to a database. Full Article text
ba Image registration for in situ X-ray nano-imaging of a composite battery cathode with deformation By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-02-01 The structural and chemical evolution of battery electrodes at the nanoscale plays an important role in affecting the cell performance. Nano-resolution X-ray microscopy has been demonstrated as a powerful technique for characterizing the evolution of battery electrodes under operating conditions with sensitivity to their morphology, compositional distribution and redox heterogeneity. In real-world batteries, the electrode could deform upon battery operation, causing challenges for the image registration which is necessary for several experimental modalities, e.g. XANES imaging. To address this challenge, this work develops a deep-learning-based method for automatic particle identification and tracking. This approach was not only able to facilitate image registration with good robustness but also allowed quantification of the degree of sample deformation. The effectiveness of the method was first demonstrated using synthetic datasets with known ground truth. The method was then applied to an experimental dataset collected on an operating lithium battery cell, revealing a high degree of intra- and interparticle chemical complexity in operating batteries. Full Article text
ba Ultrashort large-bandwidth X-ray free-electron laser generation with a dielectric-lined waveguide By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-02-09 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. Full Article text
ba A differentiable simulation package for performing inference of synchrotron-radiation-based diagnostics By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-02-16 The direction of particle accelerator development is ever-increasing beam quality, currents and repetition rates. This poses a challenge to traditional diagnostics that directly intercept the beam due to the mutual destruction of both the beam and the diagnostic. An alternative approach is to infer beam parameters non-invasively from the synchrotron radiation emitted in bending magnets. However, inferring the beam distribution from a measured radiation pattern is a complex and computationally expensive task. To address this challenge we present SYRIPY (SYnchrotron Radiation In PYthon), a software package intended as a tool for performing inference of synchrotron-radiation-based diagnostics. SYRIPY has been developed using PyTorch, which makes it both differentiable and able to leverage the high performance of GPUs, two vital characteristics for performing statistical inference. The package consists of three modules: a particle tracker, Lienard–Wiechert solver and Fourier optics propagator, allowing start-to-end simulation of synchrotron radiation detection to be carried out. SYRIPY has been benchmarked against SRW, the prevalent numerical package in the field, showing good agreement and up to a 50× speed improvement. Finally, we have demonstrated how SYRIPY can be used to perform Bayesian inference of beam parameters using stochastic variational inference. Full Article text
ba A distributed data processing scheme based on Hadoop for synchrotron radiation experiments By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-04-24 With the development of synchrotron radiation sources and high-frame-rate detectors, the amount of experimental data collected at synchrotron radiation beamlines has increased exponentially. As a result, data processing for synchrotron radiation experiments has entered the era of big data. It is becoming increasingly important for beamlines to have the capability to process large-scale data in parallel to keep up with the rapid growth of data. Currently, there is no set of data processing solutions based on the big data technology framework for beamlines. Apache Hadoop is a widely used distributed system architecture for solving the problem of massive data storage and computation. This paper presents a set of distributed data processing schemes for beamlines with experimental data using Hadoop. The Hadoop Distributed File System is utilized as the distributed file storage system, and Hadoop YARN serves as the resource scheduler for the distributed computing cluster. A distributed data processing pipeline that can carry out massively parallel computation is designed and developed using Hadoop Spark. The entire data processing platform adopts a distributed microservice architecture, which makes the system easy to expand, reduces module coupling and improves reliability. Full Article text
ba Asymmetric electrostatic dodecapole: compact bandpass filter with low aberrations for momentum microscopy By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-06-20 Imaging energy filters in photoelectron microscopes and momentum microscopes use spherical fields with deflection angles of 90°, 180° and even 2 × 180°. These instruments are optimized for high energy resolution, and exhibit image aberrations when operated in high transmission mode at medium energy resolution. Here, a new approach is presented for bandpass-filtered imaging in real or reciprocal space using an electrostatic dodecapole with an asymmetric electrode array. In addition to energy-dispersive beam deflection, this multipole allows aberration correction up to the third order. Here, its use is described as a bandpass prefilter in a time-of-flight momentum microscope at the hard X-ray beamline P22 of PETRA III. The entire instrument is housed in a straight vacuum tube because the deflection angle is only 4° and the beam displacement in the filter is only ∼8 mm. The multipole is framed by transfer lenses in the entrance and exit branches. Two sets of 16 different-sized entrance and exit apertures on piezomotor-driven mounts allow selection of the desired bandpass. For pass energies between 100 and 1400 eV and slit widths between 0.5 and 4 mm, the transmitted kinetic energy intervals are between 10 eV and a few hundred electronvolts (full width at half-maximum). The filter eliminates all higher or lower energy signals outside the selected bandpass, significantly improving the signal-to-background ratio in the time-of-flight analyzer. Full Article text
ba Signal-to-noise and spatial resolution in in-line imaging. 1. Basic theory, numerical simulations and planar experimental images By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-06-06 Signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution are quantitatively analysed in the context of in-line (propagation based) X-ray phase-contrast imaging. It is known that free-space propagation of a coherent X-ray beam from the imaged object to the detector plane, followed by phase retrieval in accordance with Paganin's method, can increase the signal-to-noise in the resultant images without deteriorating the spatial resolution. This results in violation of the noise-resolution uncertainty principle and demonstrates `unreasonable' effectiveness of the method. On the other hand, when the process of free-space propagation is performed in software, using the detected intensity distribution in the object plane, it cannot reproduce the same effectiveness, due to the amplification of photon shot noise. Here, it is shown that the performance of Paganin's method is determined by just two dimensionless parameters: the Fresnel number and the ratio of the real decrement to the imaginary part of the refractive index of the imaged object. The relevant theoretical analysis is performed first, followed by computer simulations and then by a brief test using experimental images collected at a synchrotron beamline. More extensive experimental tests will be presented in the second part of this paper. Full Article text
ba X-ray optics for the cavity-based X-ray free-electron laser By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-06-21 A cavity-based X-ray free-electron laser (CBXFEL) is a possible future direction in the development of fully coherent X-ray sources. CBXFELs consist of a low-emittance electron source, a magnet system with several undulators and chicanes, and an X-ray cavity. The X-ray cavity stores and circulates X-ray pulses for repeated FEL interactions with electron pulses until the FEL reaches saturation. CBXFEL cavities require low-loss wavefront-preserving optical components: near-100%-reflectivity X-ray diamond Bragg-reflecting crystals, outcoupling devices such as thin diamond membranes or X-ray gratings, and aberration-free focusing elements. In the framework of the collaborative CBXFEL research and development project of Argonne National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and SPring-8, we report here the design, manufacturing and characterization of X-ray optical components for the CBXFEL cavity, which include high-reflectivity diamond crystal mirrors, a diamond drumhead crystal with thin membranes, beryllium refractive lenses and channel-cut Si monochromators. All the designed optical components have been fully characterized at the Advanced Photon Source to demonstrate their suitability for the CBXFEL cavity application. Full Article text
ba X-ray scattering based scanning tomography for imaging and structural characterization of cellulose in plants By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-06-25 X-ray and neutron scattering have long been used for structural characterization of cellulose in plants. Due to averaging over the illuminated sample volume, these measurements traditionally overlooked the compositional and morphological heterogeneity within the sample. Here, a scanning tomographic imaging method is described, using contrast derived from the X-ray scattering intensity, for virtually sectioning the sample to reveal its internal structure at a resolution of a few micrometres. This method provides a means for retrieving the local scattering signal that corresponds to any voxel within the virtual section, enabling characterization of the local structure using traditional data-analysis methods. This is accomplished through tomographic reconstruction of the spatial distribution of a handful of mathematical components identified by non-negative matrix factorization from the large dataset of X-ray scattering intensity. Joint analysis of multiple datasets, to find similarity between voxels by clustering of the decomposed data, could help elucidate systematic differences between samples, such as those expected from genetic modifications, chemical treatments or fungal decay. The spatial distribution of the microfibril angle can also be analyzed, based on the tomographically reconstructed scattering intensity as a function of the azimuthal angle. Full Article text
ba StreamSAXS: a Python-based workflow platform for processing streaming SAXS/WAXS data By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-07-15 StreamSAXS is a Python-based small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) data analysis workflow platform with graphical user interface (GUI). It aims to provide an interactive and user-friendly tool for analysis of both batch data files and real-time data streams. Users can easily create customizable workflows through the GUI to meet their specific needs. One characteristic of StreamSAXS is its plug-in framework, which enables developers to extend the built-in workflow tasks. Another feature is the support for both already acquired and real-time data sources, allowing StreamSAXS to function as an offline analysis platform or be integrated into large-scale acquisition systems for end-to-end data management. This paper presents the core design of StreamSAXS and provides user cases demonstrating its utilization for SAXS/WAXS data analysis in offline and online scenarios. Full Article text
ba TEMPUS, a Timepix4-based system for the event-based detection of X-rays By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-07-23 TEMPUS is a new detector system being developed for photon science. It is based on the Timepix4 chip and, thus, it can be operated in two distinct modes: a photon-counting mode, which allows for conventional full-frame readout at rates up to 40 kfps; and an event-driven time-stamping mode, which allows excellent time resolution in the nanosecond regime in measurements with moderate X-ray flux. In this paper, the initial prototype, a single-chip device, is introduced, and the readout system described. Moreover, and in order to evaluate its capabilities, some tests were performed at PETRA III and ESRF for which results are also presented. Full Article text
ba Development and commissioning of a broadband online X-ray spectrometer for the SXFEL Facility By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-07-29 A broadband online X-ray spectrometer has been designed and commissioned at the SUD beamline of the Shanghai Soft X-ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, which can deliver both SASE and seeded FEL pulses to user experiments, spanning the photon energy range of 50–620 eV. The resolving powers of the spectrometer calibrated via online measurement at 92 eV and 249 eV are ∼20000 and ∼15000, respectively, and the absolute photon energy is characterized by an electron time-of-flight spectrometer. The high energy resolution provided by the spectrometer can differentiate the fine structure in the FEL spectrum, to determine its pulse length. Full Article text
ba Spexwavepy: an open-source Python package for X-ray wavefront sensing using speckle-based techniques By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-07-30 In situ wavefront sensing plays a critical role in the delivery of high-quality beams for X-ray experiments. X-ray speckle-based techniques stand out among other in situ techniques for their easy experimental setup and various data acquisition modes. Although X-ray speckle-based techniques have been under development for more than a decade, there are still no user-friendly software packages for new researchers to begin with. Here, we present an open-source Python package, spexwavepy, for X-ray wavefront sensing using speckle-based techniques. This Python package covers a variety of X-ray speckle-based techniques, provides plenty of examples with real experimental data and offers detailed online documentation for users. We hope it can help new researchers learn and apply the speckle-based techniques for X-ray wavefront sensing to synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron laser beamlines. Full Article text
ba New achievements in orbital angular momentum beam characterization using a Hartmann wavefront sensor and the Kirkpatrick–Baez active optical system KAOS By journals.iucr.org Published On :: 2024-08-16 Advances in physics have been significantly driven by state-of-the-art technology, and in photonics and X-ray science this calls for the ability to manipulate the characteristics of optical beams. Orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams hold substantial promise in various domains such as ultra-high-capacity optical communication, rotating body detection, optical tweezers, laser processing, super-resolution imaging etc. Hence, the advancement of OAM beam-generation technology and the enhancement of its technical proficiency and characterization capabilities are of paramount importance. These endeavours will not only facilitate the use of OAM beams in the aforementioned sectors but also extend the scope of applications in diverse fields related to OAM beams. At the FERMI Free-Electron Laser (Trieste, Italy), OAM beams are generated either by tailoring the emission process on the undulator side or, in most cases, by coupling a spiral zone plate (SZP) in tandem with the refocusing Kirkpatrick–Baez active optic system (KAOS). To provide a robust and reproducible workflow to users, a Hartmann wavefront sensor (WFS) is used for both optics tuning and beam characterization. KAOS is capable of delivering both tightly focused and broad spots, with independent control over vertical and horizontal magnification. This study explores a novel non-conventional `near collimation' operational mode aimed at generating beams with OAM that employs the use of a lithographically manufactured SZP to achieve this goal. The article evaluates the mirror's performance through Hartmann wavefront sensing, offers a discussion of data analysis methodologies, and provides a quantitative analysis of these results with ptychographic reconstructions. Full Article text