sam

Development of SPACE-II for rapid sample exchange at SPring-8 macromolecular crystallography beamlines

Reducing the sample-exchange time is a crucial issue in maximizing the throughput of macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines because the diffraction data collection itself is completed within a minute in the era of pixel-array detectors. To this end, an upgraded sample changer, SPACE-II, has been developed on the basis of the previous model, SPACE (SPring-8 Precise Automatic Cryo-sample Exchanger), at the BL41XU beamline at SPring-8. SPACE-II achieves one sample-exchange step within 16 s, of which its action accounts for only 11 s, because of three features: (i) the implementation of twin arms that enable samples to be exchanged in one cycle of mount-arm action, (ii) the implementation of long-stroke mount arms that allow samples to be exchanged without withdrawal of the detector and (iii) the use of a fast-moving translation and rotation stage for the mount arms. By pre-holding the next sample prior to the sample-exchange sequence, the time was further decreased to 11 s in the case of automatic data collection, of which the action of SPACE-II accounted for 8 s. Moreover, the sample capacity was expanded from four to eight Uni-Pucks. The performance of SPACE-II has been demonstrated in over two years of operation at BL41XU; the average number of samples mounted on the diffractometer in one day was increased from 132 to 185, with an error rate of 0.089%, which counted incidents in which users could not continue with an experiment without recovery work by entering the experimental hutch. On the basis of these results, SPACE-II has been installed at three other MX beamlines at SPring-8 as of July 2019. The fast and highly reliable SPACE-II is now one of the most important pieces of infrastructure for the MX beamlines at SPring-8, providing users with the opportunity to fully make use of limited beamtime with brilliant X-rays.




sam

Sample deposition onto cryo-EM grids: from sprays to jets and back

Despite the great strides made in the field of single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in microscope design, direct electron detectors and new processing suites, the area of sample preparation is still far from ideal. Traditionally, sample preparation involves blotting, which has been used to achieve high resolution, particularly for well behaved samples such as apoferritin. However, this approach is flawed since the blotting process can have adverse effects on some proteins and protein complexes, and the long blot time increases exposure to the damaging air–water interface. To overcome these problems, new blotless approaches have been designed for the direct deposition of the sample on the grid. Here, different methods of producing droplets for sample deposition are compared. Using gas dynamic virtual nozzles, small and high-velocity droplets were deposited on cryo-EM grids, which spread sufficiently for high-resolution cryo-EM imaging. For those wishing to pursue a similar approach, an overview is given of the current use of spray technology for cryo-EM grid preparation and areas for enhancement are pointed out. It is further shown how the broad aspects of sprayer design and operation conditions can be utilized to improve grid quality reproducibly.




sam

The TELL automatic sample changer for macromolecular crystallography

In this paper, the design and functionalities of the high-throughput TELL sample exchange system for macromolecular crystallography is presented. TELL was developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute with a focus on speed, storage capacity and reliability to serve the three macromolecular crystallography beamlines of the Swiss Light Source, as well as the SwissMX instrument at SwissFEL.




sam

High-viscosity sample-injection device for serial femtosecond crystallography at atmospheric pressure

A sample-injection device has been developed at SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free-Electron Laser (SACLA) for serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) at atmospheric pressure. Microcrystals embedded in a highly viscous carrier are stably delivered from a capillary nozzle with the aid of a coaxial gas flow and a suction device. The cartridge-type sample reservoir is easily replaceable and facilitates sample reloading or exchange. The reservoir is positioned in a cooling jacket with a temperature-regulated water flow, which is useful to prevent drastic changes in the sample temperature during data collection. This work demonstrates that the injector successfully worked in SFX of the human A2A adenosine receptor complexed with an antagonist, ZM241385, in lipidic cubic phase and for hen egg-white lysozyme microcrystals in a grease carrier. The injection device has also been applied to many kinds of proteins, not only for static structural analyses but also for dynamics studies using pump–probe techniques.




sam

Successful sample preparation for serial crystallography experiments

Serial crystallography, at both synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser light sources, is becoming increasingly popular. However, the tools in the majority of crystallization laboratories are focused on producing large single crystals by vapour diffusion that fit the cryo-cooled paradigm of modern synchrotron crystallography. This paper presents several case studies and some ideas and strategies on how to perform the conversion from a single crystal grown by vapour diffusion to the many thousands of micro-crystals required for modern serial crystallography grown by batch crystallization. These case studies aim to show (i) how vapour diffusion conditions can be converted into batch by optimizing the length of time crystals take to appear; (ii) how an understanding of the crystallization phase diagram can act as a guide when designing batch crystallization protocols; and (iii) an accessible methodology when attempting to scale batch conditions to larger volumes. These methods are needed to minimize the sample preparation gap between standard rotation crystallography and dedicated serial laboratories, ultimately making serial crystallography more accessible to all crystallographers.




sam

Neutron Larmor diffraction on powder samples

A hitherto unrecognized resolution effect in neutron Larmor diffraction (LD) is reported, resulting from small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) in the sample. Small distortions of the neutron trajectories by SANS give rise to a blurring of the Bragg angles of the order of a few hundredths of a degree, leading to a degradation of the momentum resolution. This effect is negligible for single crystals but may be significant for polycrystalline or powder samples. A procedure is presented to correct the LD data for the parasitic SANS. The latter is accurately determined by the SESANS technique (spin–echo small-angle neutron scattering), which is readily available on Larmor diffractometers. The analysis technique is demonstrated on LD and SESANS data from α-Fe2O3 powder samples. The resulting d-spacing range agrees with experimental data from high-resolution synchrotron radiation powder diffraction on the same sample.




sam

AMi: a GUI-based, open-source system for imaging samples in multi-well plates

Described here are instructions for building and using an inexpensive automated microscope (AMi) that has been specifically designed for viewing and imaging the contents of multi-well plates. The X, Y, Z translation stage is controlled through dedicated software (AMiGUI) that is being made freely available. Movements are controlled by an Arduino-based board running grbl, and the graphical user interface and image acquisition are controlled via a Raspberry Pi microcomputer running Python. Images can be written to the Raspberry Pi or to a remote disk. Plates with multiple sample wells at each row/column position are supported, and a script file for automated z-stack depth-of-field enhancement is written along with the images. The graphical user interface and real-time imaging also make it easy to manually inspect and capture images of individual samples.




sam

New candidate for “coldest star” is same temperature as a hot cup of coffee

There is a new candidate for coldest known star: a brown dwarf with about the same temperature as a hot cup of coffee. That’s cool enough to begin crossing the blurry line between small cold stars and big hot planets.

The post New candidate for “coldest star” is same temperature as a hot cup of coffee appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




sam

Ability to raft with flotsam and use non-reef habitats helps tropical fish journey to new places, study finds

Depending on where the fish disperse from, the use of ‘stepping stones', flotsam or simply being an adult can help in the journey to find a new home.

The post Ability to raft with flotsam and use non-reef habitats helps tropical fish journey to new places, study finds appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




sam

Fungal fidelity: some ants have been eating the same meal for 5 million years!

Scientists have discovered an incredible story of fungal fidelity among certain species of ants.

The post Fungal fidelity: some ants have been eating the same meal for 5 million years! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




sam

Research shows same growth rate for farming, non-farming societies

Prehistoric human populations of hunter-gatherers in a region of North America grew at the same rate as farming societies in Europe, according to a new […]

The post Research shows same growth rate for farming, non-farming societies appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




sam

How To Email To Multiple Addresses At The Same Time





sam

Question About Samsung Muse




sam

My Samsung YP- R0 player can't complete booting process!




sam

A first: New website reveals origin of genetic samples and date collected

For the first time, a new public database will link genetic data with records of where and when the samples it was taken from were […]

The post A first: New website reveals origin of genetic samples and date collected appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




sam

Simulink - Incorrect Code Generation: In a model containing blocks from the SoC Blockset and asynchronous sample time, the sorted order might be incorrect

Simulink might produce an incorrect sorted order for a model that meets all of the following conditions:

  • The model contains blocks from the SoC Blockset
  • The Signal logging option is selected in the model configuration set
  • Signals using asynchronous sample time are configured for logging
As a result, Simulink might produce incorrect results in Normal, Accelerator, and Rapid Accelerator simulation modes as well as in generated code.
This bug exists in the following release(s):
R2020a

Interested in Upgrading?




sam

Samsung Contacts vs Google Contacts




sam

My old phone without sim card shows same ip address as my active phone




sam

What's Windows 10/Android 5.1 on the same tablet?




sam

Can my Samsung Tab S2 do editing with a keyboard from the SD card?




sam

Samsung Tab S2 (SM-T813)




sam

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 A help




sam

Detect Samsung Galaxy S5 phone on Win XP?




sam

New Report Recommends Construction of Four New Polar Icebreakers of the Same Design as the Lowest-Cost Strategy for Protecting U.S. Interests in Arctic and Antarctic

The U.S. lacks icebreaking capability in the Arctic and Antarctic and should build four polar icebreakers with heavy icebreaking capability to help minimize the life-cycle costs of icebreaker acquisition and operations, says a new congressionally mandated letter report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




sam

To Increase Protection of Miners from Black Lung Disease, A Comprehensive Report on Underground Coal Mine Dust Exposure Says Monitoring and Sampling Should Go Beyond Regulatory Compliance

Black lung disease cases in coal miners have been increasing since 2000 for uncertain reasons.




sam

New Investments Are Needed to Sustain NASA’s Instrumentation and Facilities for Future Extraterrestrial Sample Analyses, Says New Report

NASA’s investment in new instruments to analyze extraterrestrial samples is insufficient to provide for replacement of existing instruments, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




sam

Samsung, SoFi partner to launch Samsung Pay debit card

Samsung has announced plans of launching a Samsung Pay debit card in the summer of 2020. 




sam

Samsung, SoFi partner to launch Samsung Pay debit card

Samsung has announced plans...




sam

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Help




sam

VMware, Citrix latch on to Samsung DeX to solve complexity around enterprise mobility and desktop experience

Both VMware and Citrix have partnered with Samsung around new Galaxy S8 smartphone through the integration of their enterprise mobility solutions with Samsung DeX platform




sam

Seafloor trawling's ecological impacts revealed by simple sampling system

Climate change will substantially increase the severity and length of droughts in Europe by the end of the century, according to new research. The study showed that some European countries could experience a reduction in river flow of up to 80% by the 2080s.




sam

Plastic found in stomachs of over 1 in 6 large pelagic fish sampled in Mediterranean Sea

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a growing problem. This study, which is the first to investigate the presence of plastic debris in large pelagic fish in the central Mediterranean Sea, found that over 18% of fish had ingested plastics.




sam

Covid-19 fear: Electronics brands Samsung, Apple let offline stores sell online

Samsung has created an ecommerce platform in partnership with Benow.in along with mobile phone retailers across the country that will allow them to sell and deliver smartphones. Offline stores are also being used to fulfil orders placed on Samsung’s e-store for television and appliances.




sam

Half of employees watch adult content on the same devices they use for working from home: Kaspersky

As social distancing measures become common and workers adjust to their new professional environments, even from their own living rooms, there is potential for private and working life to blur into one.




sam

Seafloor trawling's ecological impacts revealed by simple sampling system

Trawling's impacts on marine ecosystems can be assessed using simple metrics which characterise easy-to-obtain samples of fish, new research suggests. The Portuguese study shows that groups of fish become dominated by fewer species as fishing intensity increases, while their total biomass declines. Moreover, in the most fished areas there were other noteworthy changes, such as substantial reductions in the proportion of sharks and rays.




sam

SPONSORED: Never the same day twice working at Celtic Manor

Pull quote: If it wasn’t for the amazing training, I wouldn’t be where I am today




sam

Same-sex marriage may improve public health

Cohabitating doesn't provide the same health benefits for gay couples that marriage does for straights.



  • Fitness & Well-Being

sam

Same-sex marriage: 6 landmark cases that changed U.S. families

The same-sex marriage rulings by the Supreme Court are but the most recent in a long history of cases that reshaped the family structure.




sam

Food pyramids change with time and place, but the goal is the same: Eat well

Colorful diagrams help us understand how much of which foods we should be eating.




sam

Creationists and conspiracy theorists share the same cognitive error, study finds

Do you believe that "everything happens for a reason"? You might be making this error, too.



  • Fitness & Well-Being

sam

Two wind turbines self-destruct in same week

Turbines in Denmark and Sweden throw off blades — a rare event, but one to consider as alternative energy use grows across globe.




sam

Fukushima radiation leak the same as 76 million bananas

An odd, fruity equation provides perspective on the amount of radioactive water leaking into the Pacific.



  • Wilderness & Resources

sam

Living things unlike anything else on Earth found in random dirt sample

A whole new kingdom will need to be created to classify Hemimastix kukwesjijk, the organisms found in a random dirt sample.



  • Wilderness & Resources

sam

Bin Laden and oil: Some things change, others stay the same

In the 10 years since Osama bin Laden became a household name, we have fought a war on terror, watched oil prices skyrocket and continued to get oil from the sa




sam

Uncle Sam says use sunscreen

If a bad burn isn't motivation enough to use care when you're out in the sun, perhaps some government intervention will help.



  • Fitness & Well-Being

sam

What Ebola can teach astronauts about safely handling Martian samples on Earth

Measures taken in the current Ebola outbreak may hold some clues for how to handle samples brought back to Earth from Mars.




sam

Why we don't all see gift-giving the same way

How can men and women get on the same page about gifts?



  • Arts & Culture

sam

Andy Samberg moderates climate insanity

Lexus-sponsored 'debate' between climate denier Phelim McAleer and green girl Simran Sethi yields important lessons for an ailing climate movement... especially



  • Research & Innovations

sam

Sam Sifton's 'Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well' is $1.99 for Kindle or Nook

Guide to pulling off a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with style from the former New York Times restaurant critic is a bargain.