This study introduces a compact, portable femtosecond fibre laser system designed for synchronization with SPring-8 synchrotron X-ray pulses in a uniform filling mode. Unlike traditional titanium–sapphire mode-locked lasers, which are fixed installations, our system utilizes fibre laser technology to provide a practical alternative for time-resolved spectroscopy, striking a balance between usability, portability and cost-efficiency. Comprehensive evaluations, including pulse characterization, timing jitter and frequency stability tests revealed a centre wavelength of 1600 nm, a pulse energy of 4.5 nJ, a pulse duration of 35 fs with a timing jitter of less than 9 ps, confirming the suitability of the system for time-resolved spectroscopic studies. This development enhances the feasibility of experiments that combine synchrotron X-rays and laser pulses, offering significant scientific contributions by enabling more flexible and diverse research applications.

A novel insertion device is introduced, designated as the Mango wiggler, designed for synchrotron radiation (SR) imaging that provides a large field of view. This innovative device is constructed from two orthogonal planar wigglers with a small difference in their period lengths, eliciting the phase difference of the magnetic fields to incrementally transitions from 0 to π/2. Such a configuration enlarges the vertical divergence of the light source, as with the horizontal divergence. The appellation `Mango wiggler' derives from the distinctive mango-shaped contour of its radiation field. A comprehensive suite of theoretical analyses and simulations has been executed to elucidate the radiation properties of the Mango wiggler, employing SPECTRA and Mathematica as calculation tools. In conjunction with the ongoing construction of the High Energy Photon Source in Beijing a practical Mango wiggler device has been fabricated for utilization in SR imaging applications. Theoretical analyses were applied to this particular Mango wiggler to yield several theoretical conclusions, and several simulations were performed according to the measured magnetic field results.

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.

In-vacuum undulators (IVUs), which have become an essential tool in synchrotron radiation facilities, have two technical challenges toward further advancement: one is a strong attractive force between top and bottom magnetic arrays, and the other is a stringent requirement on magnetic materials to avoid demagnetization. The former imposes a complicated design on mechanical and vacuum structures, while the latter limits the possibility of using high-performance permanent magnets. To solve these issues, a number of technical developments have been made, such as force cancellation and modularization of magnetic arrays, and enhancement of resistance against demagnetization by means of a special magnetic circuit. The performance of a new IVU built upon these technologies has revealed their effectiveness for constructing high-performance IVUs in a cost-effective manner.

The Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free-Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL) operates hard X-ray and soft X-ray beamlines for conducting scientific experiments providing intense ultrashort X-ray pulses based on the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) process. The X-ray free-electron laser is characterized by strong pulse-to-pulse fluctuations resulting from the SASE process. Therefore, online photon diagnostics are very important for rigorous measurements. The concept of photo-absorption and emission using solid materials is seldom considered in soft X-ray beamline diagnostics. Instead, gas monitoring detectors, which utilize the photo-ionization of noble gas, are employed for monitoring the beam intensity. To track the beam position at the soft X-ray beamline in addition to those intensity monitors, an X-ray ionization beam position monitor (XIBPM) has been developed and characterized at the soft X-ray beamline of PAL-XFEL. The XIBPM utilizes ionization of either the residual gas in an ultra-high-vacuum environment or injected krypton gas, along with a microchannel plate with phosphor. The XIBPM was tested separately for monitoring horizontal and vertical beam positions, confirming the feasibility of tracking relative changes in beam position both on average and down to single-shot measurements. This paper presents the basic structure and test results of the newly developed non-invasive XIBPM.

The split-and-delay unit (SDU) at FLASH2 will be upgraded to enable the simultaneous operation of two temporally, spatially and spectrally separated probe beams when the free-electron laser undulators are operated in a two-color scheme. By means of suitable thin filters and an optical grating beam path a wide range of combinations of photon energies in the spectral range from 150 eV to 780 eV can be chosen. In this paper, simulations of the spectral transmission and performance parameters of the filter technique are discussed, along with a monochromator with dispersion compensation presently under construction.

One of the most challenging aspects of X-ray research is the delivery of liquid sample flows into the soft X-ray beam. Currently, cylindrical microjets are the most commonly used sample injection systems for soft X-ray liquid spectroscopy. However, they suffer from several drawbacks, such as complicated geometry due to their curved surface. In this study, we propose a novel 3D-printed nozzle design by introducing microscopic flat sheet jets that provide micrometre-thick liquid sheets with high stability, intending to make this technology more widely available to users. Our research is a collaboration between the EuXFEL and MAX IV research facilities. This collaboration aims to develop and refine a 3D-printed flat sheet nozzle design and a versatile jetting platform that is compatible with multiple endstations and measurement techniques. Our flat sheet jet platform improves the stability of the jet and increases its surface area, enabling more precise scanning and differential measurements in X-ray absorption, scattering, and imaging applications. Here, we demonstrate the performance of this new arrangement for a flat sheet jet setup with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoelectron angular distribution, and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments performed at the photoemission end­station of the FlexPES beamline at MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden.

A state-of-the-art multilayer deposition system with a 4200 mm-long linear substrate translator housed within an ultra-high vacuum chamber has been developed. This instrument is engineered to produce single and multilayer coatings, accommodating mirrors up to 2000 mm in length through the utilization of eight rectangular cathodes. To ensure the quality and reliability of the coatings, the system incorporates various diagnostic tools for in situ thickness uniformity and stress measurement. Furthermore, the system features an annealing process capable of heating up to 700°C within the load-lock chamber. The entire operation, including pump down, deposition and venting processes, is automated through user-friendly software. In addition, all essential log data, power of sputtering source, working pressure and motion positions are automatically stored for comprehensive data analysis. Preliminary commissioning results demonstrate excellent lateral film thickness uniformity, achieving 0.26% along the translation direction over 1500 mm in dynamic mode. The multilayer deposition system is poised for use in fabricating periodic, lateral-graded and depth-graded multilayers, specifically catering to the beamlines for diverse scientific applications at Diamond Light Source.

Molecular structures can be determined in vitro and in situ with cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Specimen preparation is a major obstacle in cryo-EM. Typical sample preparation is orders of magnitude slower than biological processes. Time-resolved cryo-EM (TR-cryo-EM) can capture short-lived states. Here, Cryo-EM sample preparation with light-activated molecules (C-SPAM) is presented, an open-source, photochemistry-coupled device for TR-cryo-EM that enables millisecond resolution and tunable timescales across broad biological applications.

Metal-based complexes with their unique chemical properties, including multiple oxidation states, radio-nuclear capabilities and various coordination geometries yield value as potential pharmaceuticals. Understanding the interactions between metals and biological systems will prove key for site-specific coordination of new metal-based lead compounds. This study merges the concepts of target coordination with fragment-based drug methodologies, supported by varying the anomalous scattering of rhenium along with infrared spectroscopy, and has identified rhenium metal sites bound covalently with two amino acid types within the model protein. A time-based series of lysozyme-rhenium-imidazole (HEWL-Re-Imi) crystals was analysed systematically over a span of 38 weeks. The main rhenium covalent coordination is observed at His15, Asp101 and Asp119. Weak (i.e. noncovalent) interactions are observed at other aspartic, asparagine, proline, tyrosine and tryptophan side chains. Detailed bond distance comparisons, including precision estimates, are reported, utilizing the diffraction precision index supplemented with small-molecule data from the Cambridge Structural Database. Key findings include changes in the protein structure induced at the rhenium metal binding site, not observed in similar metal-free structures. The binding sites are typically found along the solvent-channel-accessible protein surface. The three primary covalent metal binding sites are consistent throughout the time series, whereas binding to neighbouring amino acid residues changes through the time series. Co-crystallization was used, consistently yielding crystals four days after setup. After crystal formation, soaking of the compound into the crystal over 38 weeks is continued and explains these structural adjustments. It is the covalent bond stability at the three sites, their proximity to the solvent channel and the movement of residues to accommodate the metal that are important, and may prove useful for future radiopharmaceutical development including target modification.

The large Bunyavirales order includes several families of viruses with a segmented ambisense (−) RNA genome and a cytoplasmic life cycle that starts by synthesizing viral mRNA. The initiation of transcription, which is common to all members, relies on an endonuclease activity that is responsible for cap-snatching. In La Crosse virus, an orthobunyavirus, it has previously been shown that the cap-snatching endonuclease resides in the N-terminal domain of the L protein. Orthobunyaviruses are transmitted by arthropods and cause diseases in cattle. However, California encephalitis virus, La Crosse virus and Jamestown Canyon virus are North American species that can cause encephalitis in humans. No vaccines or antiviral drugs are available. In this study, three known Influenza virus endonuclease inhibitors (DPBA, L-742,001 and baloxavir) were repurposed on the La Crosse virus endonuclease. Their inhibition was evaluated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer and their mode of binding was then assessed by differential scanning fluorimetry and microscale thermophoresis. Finally, two crystallographic structures were obtained in complex with L-742,001 and baloxavir, providing access to the structural determinants of inhibition and offering key information for the further development of Bunyavirales endonuclease inhibitors.

Quantum crystallography is an emerging research field of science that has its origin in the early days of quantum physics and modern crystallography when it was almost immediately envisaged that X-ray radiation could be somehow exploited to determine the electron distribution of atoms and molecules. Today it can be seen as a composite research area at the intersection of crystallography, quantum chemistry, solid-state physics, applied mathematics and computer science, with the goal of investigating quantum problems, phenomena and features of the crystalline state. In this article, the state-of-the-art of quantum crystallography will be described by presenting developments and applications of novel techniques that have been introduced in the last 15 years. The focus will be on advances in the framework of multipole model strategies, wavefunction-/density matrix-based approaches and quantum chemical topological techniques. Finally, possible future improvements and expansions in the field will be discussed, also considering new emerging experimental and computational technologies.

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.

we introduce a novel approach for a real-time dual-frequency feedback system, which has been firstly used at the hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline of SSRF. The BiBEST can then efficiently stabilize X-ray beam position and stability in parallel, making use of different optical systems in the beamline.

Recently, we introduced the liquid application method for time-resolved analyses (LAMA). The time-consuming cleaning cycles required for the substrate solution exchange and storage of the sensitive droplet-dispenser nozzles present practical challenges. In this work, a dispenser cleaning system for the semi-automated cleaning of the piezo-actuator-driven picolitre-droplet dispensers required for LAMA is introduced to streamline typical workflows.

BioXTAS RAW is a free open-source program for reduction, analysis and modelling of biological small-angle scattering data. Here, the new developments in RAW version 2 are described. These include improved data reduction using pyFAI; updated automated Guinier fitting and Dmax finding algorithms; automated series (e.g. size-exclusion chromatography coupled small-angle X-ray scattering or SEC-SAXS) buffer- and sample-region finding algorithms; linear and integral baseline correction for series; deconvolution of series data using regularized alternating least squares (REGALS); creation of electron-density reconstructions using electron density via solution scattering (DENSS); a comparison window showing residuals, ratios and statistical comparisons between profiles; and generation of PDF reports with summary plots and tables for all analysis. Furthermore, there is now a RAW API, which can be used without the graphical user interface (GUI), providing full access to all of the functionality found in the GUI. In addition to these new capabilities, RAW has undergone significant technical updates, such as adding Python 3 compatibility, and has entirely new documentation available both online and in the program.

It is demonstrated that high-resolution energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence mapping devices based on a micro-focused beam are not restricted to high-speed analyses of element distributions or to the detection of different grains, twins and subgrains in crystalline materials but can also be used for the detection of dislocations in high-quality single crystals. Si single crystals with low dislocation densities were selected as model materials to visualize the position of dis­locations by the spatially resolved measurement of Bragg-peak intensity fluctuations. These originate from the most distorted planes caused by the stress fields of dislocations. The results obtained by this approach are compared with laboratory-based Lang X-ray topographs. The presented methodology yields comparable results and it is of particular interest in the field of crystal growth, where fast chemical and microstructural characterization feedback loops are indispensable for short and efficient development times. The beam divergence was reduced via an aperture management system to facilitate the visualization of dislocations for virtually as-grown, non-polished and non-planar samples with a very pronounced surface profile.

High-pressure crystallographic data can be measured using a diamond anvil cell (DAC), which allows the sample to be viewed only along a cell vector which runs perpendicular to the diamond anvils. Although centring a sample perpendicular to this direction is straightforward, methods for centring along this direction often rely on sample focusing, measurements of the direct beam or short data collections followed by refinement of the crystal offsets. These methods may be inaccurate, difficult to apply or slow. Described here is a method based on precise measurement of the offset in this direction using a confocal optical device, whereby the cell centre is located at the mid-point of two measurements of the distance between a light source and the external faces of the diamond anvils viewed along the forward and reverse directions of the cell vector. It is shown that the method enables a DAC to be centred to within a few micrometres reproducibly and quickly.

X-ray multi-projection imaging (XMPI) is an emerging experimental technique for the acquisition of rotation-free, time-resolved, volumetric information on stochastic processes. The technique is developed for high-brilliance light-source facilities, aiming to address known limitations of state-of-the-art imaging methods in the acquisition of 4D sample information, linked to their need for sample rotation. XMPI relies on a beam-splitting scheme, that illuminates a sample from multiple, angularly spaced viewpoints, and employs fast, indirect, X-ray imaging detectors for the collection of the data. This approach enables studies of previously inaccessible phenomena of industrial and societal relevance such as fractures in solids, propagation of shock waves, laser-based 3D printing, or even fast processes in the biological domain. In this work, we discuss in detail the beam-splitting scheme of XMPI. More specifically, we explore the relevant properties of X-ray splitter optics for their use in XMPI schemes, both at synchrotron insertion devices and XFEL facilities. Furthermore, we describe two distinct XMPI schemes, designed to faciliate large samples and complex sample environments. Finally, we present experimental proof of the feasibility of MHz-rate XMPI at the European XFEL. This detailed overview aims to state the challenges and the potential of XMPI and act as a stepping stone for future development of the technique.

X-ray ghost imaging with a crystal beam splitter has advantages in highly efficient imaging due to the simultaneous acquisition of signals from both the object beam and reference beam. However, beam splitting with a large field of view, uniform distribution and high correlation has been a great challenge up to now. Therefore, a dedicated beam splitter has been developed by optimizing the optical layout of a synchrotron radiation beamline and the fabrication process of a Laue crystal. A large field of view, consistent size, uniform intensity distribution and high correlation were obtained simultaneously for the two split beams. Modulated by a piece of copper foam upstream of the splitter, a correlation of 92% between the speckle fields of the object and reference beam and a Glauber function of 1.25 were achieved. Taking advantage of synthetic aperture X-ray ghost imaging (SAXGI), a circuit board of size 880 × 330 pixels was successfully imaged with high fidelity. In addition, even though 16 measurements corresponding to a sampling rate of 1% in SAXGI were used for image reconstruction, the skeleton structure of the circuit board can still be determined. In conclusion, the specially developed beam splitter is applicable for the efficient implementation of X-ray ghost imaging.

We present first hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) results of aqueous salt solutions and dispersions of gold nanoparticles in liquid cells equipped with specially designed microfabricated thin silicon nitride membranes, with thickness in the 15–25 nm range, mounted in a high-vacuum-compatible environment. The experiments have been performed at the HAXPES endstation of the GALAXIES beamline at the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation facility. The low-stress membranes are fabricated from 100 mm silicon wafers using standard lithography techniques. Platinum alignment marks are added to the chips hosting the membranes to facilitate the positioning of the X-ray beam on the membrane by detecting the corresponding photoemission lines. Two types of liquid cells have been used, a static one built on an Omicron-type sample holder with the liquid confined in the cell container, and a circulating liquid cell, in which the liquid can flow in order to mitigate the effects due to beam damage. We demonstrate that the membranes are mechanically robust and able to withstand 1 bar pressure difference between the liquid inside the cell and vacuum, and the intense synchrotron radiation beam during data acquisition. This opens up new opportunities for spectroscopic studies of liquids.

Mirakl has announced its partnership with

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It"; Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Patrick Doherty volunteered for a new medical intervention of gene-editor infusions for the treatment of genetically-based diseases.; Credit: /Patrick Doherty

Patrick Doherty had always been very active. He trekked the Himalayas and hiked trails in Spain.

But about a year and a half ago, he noticed pins and needles in his fingers and toes. His feet got cold. And then he started getting out of breath any time he walked his dog up the hills of County Donegal in Ireland where he lives.

"I noticed on some of the larger hill climbs I was getting a bit breathless," says Doherty, 65. "So I realized something was wrong."

Doherty found out he had a rare, but devastating inherited disease — known as transthyretin amyloidosis — that had killed his father. A misshapen protein was building up in his body, destroying important tissues, such as nerves in his hands and feet and his heart.

Doherty had watched others get crippled and die difficult deaths from amyloidosis.

"It's terrible prognosis," Doherty says. "This is a condition that deteriorates very rapidly. It's just dreadful."

So Doherty was thrilled when he found out that doctors were testing a new way to try to treat amyloidosis. The approach used a revolutionary gene-editing technique called CRISPR, which allows scientists to make very precise changes in DNA.

"I thought: Fantastic. I jumped at the opportunity," Doherty says.

On Saturday, researchers reported the first data indicating that the experimental treatment worked, causing levels of the destructive protein to plummet in Doherty's body and the bodies of five other patients treated with the approach.

"I feel fantastic," Doherty says. "It's just phenomenal."

The advance is being hailed not just for amyloidosis patients but also as a proof-of-concept that CRISPR could be used to treat many other, much more common diseases. It's a new way of using the innovative technology.

"This is a major milestone for patients," says Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, who shared a Nobel Prize for her work helping develop CRISPR.

"While these are early data, they show us that we can overcome one of the biggest challenges with applying CRISPR clinically so far, which is being able to deliver it systemically and get it to the right place," Doudna says.

CRISPR has already been shown to help patients suffering from the devastating blood disorders sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. And doctors are trying to use it to treat cancer and to restore vision to people blinded by a rare genetic disorder.

But those experiments involve taking cells out of the body, editing them in the lab, and infusing them back in or injecting CRISPR directly into cells that need fixing.

The study Doherty volunteered for is the first in which doctors are simply infusing the gene-editor directly into patients and letting it find its own way to the right gene in the right cells. In this case, it's cells in the liver making the destructive protein.

"This is the first example in which CRISPR-Cas9 is injected directly into the bloodstream — in other words systemic administration — where we use it as a way to reach a tissue that's far away from the site of injection and very specifically use it to edit disease-causing genes," says John Leonard, the CEO of Intellia Therapeutics, which is sponsoring the study.

Doctors infused billions of microscopic structures known as nanoparticles carrying genetic instructions for the CRISPR gene-editor into four patients in London and two in New Zealand. The nanoparticles were absorbed by their livers, where they unleashed armies of CRISPR gene-editors. The CRISPR editor honed in on the target gene in the liver and sliced it, disabling production of the destructive protein.

Within weeks, the levels of protein causing the disease plummeted. Researchers reported at the Peripheral Nerve Society Annual Meeting and in a paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"It really is exciting," says Dr. Julian Gillmore, who is leading the study at the University College London, Royal Free Hospital.

"This has the potential to completely revolutionize the outcome for these patients who have lived with this disease in their family for many generations. It's decimated some families that I've been looking after. So this is amazing," Gillmore says.

The patients will have to be followed longer, and more patients will have to be treated, to make sure the treatment's safe, and determine how much it's helping, Gillmore stresses. But the approach could help those struck by amyloidosis that isn't inherited, which is a far more common version of the disease, he says.

Moreover, the promising results potentially open the door for using the same approach to treatment of many other, more common diseases for which taking cells out of the body or directly injecting CRISPR isn't realistic, including heart disease, muscular dystrophy and brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.

"This is really opening a new era as we think about gene-editing where we can begin to think about accessing all kinds of different tissue in the body via systemic administration," Leonard says.

Other scientists who are not involved in the research agree.

"This is a wonderful day for the future of gene-editing as a medicine,"
agree Fyodor Urnov, a professor of genetics at the University of California, Berkeley. "We as a species are watching this remarkable new show called: our gene-edited future."

Doherty says he started feeling better within weeks of the treatment and has continued to improve in the weeks since then.

"I definitely feel better," he told NPR. "I'm speaking to you from upstairs in our house. I climbed stairs to get up here. I would have been feeling breathless. I'm thrilled."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The USGS is working with federal land management agencies to develop a series of structured science syntheses (SSS) to support National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. This new synthesis is the third publication in the SSS series and provides science to support NEPA analyses for agency decisions regarding oil and gas leasing and permitting.

Dr. Jill Baron, Director of the Powell Center, will present a webinar on how to develop a strong proposal for Working Group on November 19th, 2024, at 11am MT/1pm ET.

Shot from the film "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It"; Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Wade Major and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.

• "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," in wide release & HBO Max

• "Spirit Untamed," in wide release

• "Edge Of The World," on VOD (including Google Play & FandangoNow)

• "All Light, Everywhere," at The Landmark Theater; Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 (Pasadena) on June 11

• "City of Ali," Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema; Laemmle’s NoHo 7 on June 17

• "Gully," In Select Theaters including Cinemark 18 and XD (Los Angeles), Cinemark 22 and IMAX (Lancaster); VOD (Youtube & Vudu) June 8

• "On The Trail Of Bigfoot: The Journey," VOD (including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu & FandangoNOW) June 8

• "Undine," Laemmle Theaters (Playhouse 7, Newhall, Town Center 5, Royal, Claremont 5); VOD (including iTunes, Vudu, Google Play)

• "Grace And Grit," in select theaters & VOD (including FandangoNow, iTunes, Spectrum on Demand)

• "Super Frenchie," In select theaters & VOD (including Google Play, iTunes & FandangoNow)

• "Bad Tales," In select theaters; Laemmle Virtual Cinema & Monica Film Center; VOD

• "Flashback," VOD (including Vudu, FandangoNow & Spectrum on Demand)

Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.

Guests:

Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The New York Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets @TheAmyNicholson

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Children learn their habits, attitudes and beliefs from their parents and other caregivers, and that includes their willingness to try new and healthy foods. The American Dietetic Association and Catawba County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) encourages adults to be good role models and teach children how to appreciate nutrition and enjoy healthful eating.

Anyone accessing My Catawba County will be able to choose from a selection of informational links and County applications. The application was developed for mobile devices with a web browser such as iPad, iPhone, Android phones and tablets.

The facility is now testing biodiesel fuel being produced by several companies in the region and from the harvest of crops growing around the landfill to test which ones grow best in the local climate while producing the best oils for biodiesel.

Enhancements include an auto-fill feature, the ability to search on a business or landmark name, and links to both Google and Bing maps.

Two Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) were presented to Grandview Middle School and Northview Middle School at a basketball game between the two rivals on January 24. The AEDs were made possible though efforts of Catawba County Public Health school nurse Virginia Beisler, MS, RN. Beisler worked with Frye Regional Medical Center and each school�s booster and PTA clubs to raise the $3,200 necessary to purchase the AEDs.

Marijuanas active components are potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AIDS wasting, and other symptoms, and should be tested rigorously in clinical trials.

The environmental effects of oil and gas exploration and production on Alaska s North Slope have been accumulating for more than three decades, says a new report from the National Academies National Research Council.

Despite being used for several decades, test-based incentives have not consistently generated positive effects on student achievement, says a new report from the National Research Council.

Legal responses to juvenile offending should be grounded in scientific knowledge about adolescent development and tailored to an individual offenders needs and social environment, says a new report from the National Research Council.

Young adults ages 18-26 should be viewed as a separate subpopulation in policy and research, because they are in a critical period of development when successes or failures could strongly affect the trajectories of their lives, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.

Bullying is a serious public health problem, with significant short- and long-term psychological consequences for both the targets and perpetrators of such behavior, and requires a commitment to developing preventive and interventional policies and practices that could make a tangible difference in the lives of many children, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The U.S. Agency for International Development should speed its transformation into a global leader and catalyst in applying science, technology and innovation to the challenges facing developing countries, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The social, behavioral, and economic (SBE) sciences make significant contributions to the National Science Foundation’s mission to advance health, prosperity and welfare, national defense, and progress in science, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine outlines how to examine whether specific levels of nutrients or other food substances (NOFSs) can ameliorate the risk of chronic disease and recommends ways to develop dietary reference intakes (DRI) based on chronic disease outcomes.

The U.S. Department of Energy should place a higher priority on developing an accurate and actionable inventory of agency-owned or managed properties that can be leased or sold for energy development, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Policymakers’ efforts to reduce threats from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) should include greater oversight of precursor chemicals sold at the retail level – especially over the Internet – that terrorists, violent extremists, or criminals use to make homemade explosives, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Although NASA has made progress toward the overall space exploration science priorities recommended in a 2011 decadal survey by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the space agency should raise the priority of scientific research that addresses the risks and unknowns of human space exploration.

A comprehensive aviation safety system as envisioned by NASA would require integration of a wide range of systems and practices, including building an in-time aviation safety management system (IASMS) that could detect and mitigate high-priority safety issues as they emerge and before they become hazards, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The emergence of inexpensive small unmanned aircraft systems (sUASs) that operate without a human pilot, commonly known as drones, has led to adversarial groups threatening deployed U.S. forces, especially infantry units.

An emerging body of evidence suggests that integrating STEMM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) with the humanities and arts in higher education is associated with positive learning outcomes that may help students enter the workforce, live enriched lives, and become active and informed citizens, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Given the current state of quantum computing and the significant challenges that still need to be overcome, it is highly unlikely that a quantum computer that can compromise public-key cryptography – a basis for the security of most of today’s computers and networks – will be built within the next decade, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.