Processing of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data from area detectors can be separated into two steps. First, raw intensities are obtained by integration of the diffraction images, and then data correction and reduction are performed to determine structure-factor amplitudes and their uncertainties. The second step considers the diffraction geometry, sample illumination, decay, absorption and other effects. While absorption is only a minor effect in standard macromolecular crystallography (MX), it can become the largest source of uncertainty for experiments performed at long wavelengths. Current software packages for MX typically employ empirical models to correct for the effects of absorption, with the corrections determined through the procedure of minimizing the differences in intensities between symmetry-equivalent reflections; these models are well suited to capturing smoothly varying experimental effects. However, for very long wavelengths, empirical methods become an unreliable approach to model strong absorption effects with high fidelity. This problem is particularly acute when data multiplicity is low. This paper presents an analytical absorption correction strategy (implemented in new software AnACor) based on a volumetric model of the sample derived from X-ray tomography. Individual path lengths through the different sample materials for all reflections are determined by a ray-tracing method. Several approaches for absorption corrections (spherical harmonics correction, analytical absorption correction and a combination of the two) are compared for two samples, the membrane protein OmpK36 GD, measured at a wavelength of λ = 3.54 Å, and chlorite dismutase, measured at λ = 4.13 Å. Data set statistics, the peak heights in the anomalous difference Fourier maps and the success of experimental phasing are used to compare the results from the different absorption correction approaches. The strategies using the new analytical absorption correction are shown to be superior to the standard spherical harmonics corrections. While the improvements are modest in the 3.54 Å data, the analytical absorption correction outperforms spherical harmonics in the longer-wavelength data (λ = 4.13 Å), which is also reflected in the reduced amount of data being required for successful experimental phasing.

Three-dimensional cryo electron microscopy reconstructions are obtained by extracting information from a large number of projections of the object. These projections correspond to different `views' or `orientations', i.e. directions in which these projections show the reconstructed object. Uneven distribution of these views and the presence of dominating preferred orientations may distort the reconstructed spatial images. This work describes the program VUE (views on uniform grids for cryo electron microscopy), designed to study such distributions. Its algorithms, based on uniform virtual grids on a sphere, allow an easy calculation and accurate quantitative analysis of the frequency distribution of the views. The key computational element is the Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection of a spherical uniform grid onto a disc. This projection keeps the surface area constant and represents the frequency distribution with no visual bias. Since it has multiple tunable parameters, the program is easily adaptable to individual needs, and to the features of a particular project or of the figure to be produced. It can help identify problems related to an uneven distribution of views. Optionally, it can modify the list of projections, distributing the views more uniformly. The program can also be used as a teaching tool.

The influence of various combinations of residual stress, composition and grain interaction gradients in polycrystalline materials with cubic symmetry on energy-dispersive X-ray stress analysis is theoretically investigated. For the evaluation of the simulated sin2ψ distributions, two different strategies are compared with regard to their suitability for separating the individual gradients. It is shown that the separation of depth gradients of the strain-free lattice parameter a0(z) from residual stress gradients σ(z) is only possible if the data analysis is carried out in section planes parallel to the surface. The impact of a surface layer z* that is characterized by a direction-dependent grain interaction model in contrast to the volume of the material is quantified by comparing a ferritic and an austenitic steel, which feature different elastic anisotropy. It is shown to be of minor influence on the resulting residual stress depth profiles if the data evaluation is restricted to reflections hkl with orientation factors Γhkl close to the model-independent orientation Γ*. Finally, a method is proposed that allows the thickness of the anisotropic surface layer z* to be estimated on the basis of an optimization procedure.

X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) is a powerful tool for the investigation of dynamics covering a broad range of timescales and length scales. The two-time correlation function (TTC) is commonly used to track non-equilibrium dynamical evolution in XPCS measurements, with subsequent extraction of one-time correlations. While the theoretical foundation for the quantitative analysis of TTCs is primarily established for equilibrium systems, where key parameters such as the diffusion coefficient remain constant, non-equilibrium systems pose a unique challenge. In such systems, different projections (`cuts') of the TTC may lead to divergent results if the underlying fundamental parameters themselves are subject to temporal variations. This article explores widely used approaches for TTC calculations and common methods for extracting relevant information from correlation functions, particularly in the light of comparing dynamics in equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems.

This article presents a Python-based program, DFT2FEFFIT, to regress theoretical extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra calculated from density functional theory structure models against experimental EXAFS spectra. To showcase its application, Ce-doped fluorapatite [Ca10(PO4)6F2] is revisited as a representative of a material difficult to analyze by conventional multi-shell least-squares fitting of EXAFS spectra. The software is open source and publicly available.

Structural modelling of operando pair distribution function (PDF) data of complex functional materials can be highly challenging. To aid the understanding of complex operando PDF data, this article demonstrates a toolbox for PDF analysis. The tools include denoising using principal component analysis together with the structureMining, similarityMapping and nmfMapping apps available through the online service `PDF in the cloud' (PDFitc, https://pdfitc.org/). The toolbox is used for both ex situ and operando PDF data for 3 nm TiO2-bronze nanocrystals, which function as the active electrode material in a Li-ion battery. The tools enable structural modelling of the ex situ and operando PDF data, revealing two pristine TiO2 phases (bronze and anatase) and two lithiated LixTiO2 phases (lithiated versions of bronze and anatase), and the phase evolution during galvanostatic cycling is characterized.

Characterization of crystallization processes in situ is of great importance to furthering knowledge of how nucleation and growth processes direct the assembly of organic and inorganic materials in solution and, critically, understanding the influence that these processes have on the final physico-chemical properties of the resulting solid form. With careful specification and design, as demonstrated here, it is now possible to bring combined X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, coupled to a range of fully integrated segmented and continuous flow platforms, to the laboratory environment for in situ data acquisition for timescales of the order of seconds. The facility used here (Flow-Xl) houses a diffractometer with a micro-focus Cu Kα rotating anode X-ray source and a 2D hybrid photon-counting detector, together with a Raman spectrometer with 532 and 785 nm lasers. An overview of the diffractometer and spectrometer setup is given, and current sample environments for flow crystallization are described. Commissioning experiments highlight the sensitivity of the two instruments for time-resolved in situ data collection of samples in flow. Finally, an example case study to monitor the batch crystallization of sodium sulfate from aqueous solution, by tracking both the solute and solution phase species as a function of time, highlights the applicability of such measurements in determining the kinetics associated with crystallization processes. This work illustrates that the Flow-Xl facility provides high-resolution time-resolved in situ structural phase information through diffraction data together with molecular-scale solution data through spectroscopy, which allows crystallization mechanisms and their associated kinetics to be analysed in a laboratory setting.

The increasing structural complexity and downscaling of modern nanodevices require continuous development of structural characterization techniques that support R&D and manufacturing processes. This work explores the capability of laboratory characterization of periodic planar nanostructures using 3D X-ray standing waves as a promising method for reconstructing atomic profiles of planar nanostructures. The non-destructive nature of this metrology technique makes it highly versatile and particularly suitable for studying various types of samples. Moreover, it eliminates the need for additional sample preparation before use and can achieve sub-nanometre reconstruction resolution using widely available laboratory setups, as demonstrated on a diffractometer equipped with a microfocus X-ray tube with a copper anode.

Energy-dispersive Laue diffraction (EDLD) is a powerful method to obtain position-resolved texture information in inhomogeneous biological samples without the need for sample rotation. This study employs EDLD texture scanning to investigate the impact of two salivary peptides, statherin (STN) and histatin-1 (HTN) 21 N-terminal peptides (STN21 and HTN21), on the crystallographic structure of dental enamel. These proteins are known to play crucial roles in dental caries progression. Three healthy incisors were randomly assigned to three groups: artificially demineralized, demineralized after HTN21 peptide pre-treatment and demineralized after STN21 peptide pre-treatment. To understand the micro-scale structure of the enamel, each specimen was scanned from the enamel surface to a depth of 250 µm using microbeam EDLD. Via the use of a white beam and a pixelated detector, where each pixel functions as a spectrometer, pole figures were obtained in a single exposure at each measurement point. The results revealed distinct orientations of hydroxyapatite crystallites and notable texture variation in the peptide-treated demineralized samples compared with the demineralized control. Specifically, the peptide-treated demineralized samples exhibited up to three orientation populations, in contrast to the demineralized control which displayed only a single orientation population. The texture index of the demineralized control (2.00 ± 0.21) was found to be lower than that of either the STN21 (2.32 ± 0.20) or the HTN21 (2.90 ± 0.46) treated samples. Hence, texture scanning with EDLD gives new insights into dental enamel crystallite orientation and links the present understanding of enamel demineralization to the underlying crystalline texture. For the first time, the feasibility of EDLD texture measurements for quantitative texture evaluation in demineralized dental enamel samples is demonstrated.

Small-angle neutron scattering is a widely used technique to study large-scale structures in bulk samples. The largest accessible length scale in conventional Bragg scattering is determined by the combination of the longest available neutron wavelength and smallest resolvable scattering angle. A method is presented that circumvents this limitation and is able to extract larger length scales from the low-q power-law scattering using a modification of the well known Porod law connecting the scattered intensity of randomly distributed objects to their specific surface area. It is shown that in the special case of a highly aligned domain structure the specific surface area extracted from the modified Porod law can be used to determine specific length scales of the domain structure. The analysis method is applied to study the micrometre-sized domain structure found in the intermediate mixed state of the superconductor niobium. The analysis approach allows the range of accessible length scales to be extended from 1 µm to up to 40 µm using a conventional small-angle neutron scattering setup.

Here, a recently commissioned five-analyzer Johann spectrometer at the Inner Shell Spectroscopy beamline (8-ID) at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) is presented. Designed for hard X-ray photon-in/photon-out spectroscopy, the spectrometer achieves a resolution in the 0.5–2 eV range, depending on the element and/or emission line, providing detailed insights into the local electronic and geometric structure of materials. It serves a diverse user community, including fields such as physical, chemical, biological, environmental and materials sciences. This article details the mechanical design, alignment procedures and data-acquisition scheme of the spectrometer, with a particular focus on the continuous asynchronous data-acquisition approach that significantly enhances experimental efficiency.

High-repetition-rate free-electron lasers impose stringent requirements on the thermal deformation of beamline optics. The Shanghai HIgh-repetition-rate XFEL aNd Extreme light facility (SHINE) experiences high average thermal power and demands wavefront preservation. To deeply study the thermal field of the first reflection mirror M1 at the FEL-II beamline of SHINE, thermal analysis under a photon energy of 400 eV was executed by fluid and solid heat transfer method. According to the thermal analysis results and the reference cooling water temperature of 30 °C, the temperature of the cooling water at the flow outlet is raised by 0.15 °C, and the wall temperature of the cooling tube increases by a maximum of 0.5 °C. The maximum temperature position of the footprint centerline in the meridian direction deviates away from the central position, and this asymmetrical temperature distribution will directly affect the thermal deformation of the mirror and indirectly affect the focus spot of the beam at the sample.

Tina Turner performing, used in the documentary "Tina." ; Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images/HBO

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

The finale of the 2013 Americana Music Association Honors and Awards show.; Credit: Folk Alley

The 2014 Americana Music Awards are Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific/8 p.m. Eastern. You can watch the full show live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. below, including performances by Loretta Lynn, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and more.

Read a full list of the nominees below:

Album of the Year

• Build Me Up From Bones by Sarah Jarosz
• The Lights From The Chemical Plant by Robert Ellis
• The River And The Thread by Rosanne Cash
• Southeastern by Jason Isbell

Artist of the Year

• Rosanne Cash
• Rodney Crowell
• Robert Ellis
• Jason Isbell

Duo/Group of the Year

• The Avett Brothers
• The Devil Makes Three
• Hard Working Americans
• Lake Street Dive
• The Milk Carton Kids

Song of the Year

• "Cover Me Up" by Jason Isbell
• "A Feather's Not A Bird" by Rosanne Cash
• "Ohio" by Patty Griffin
• "Only Lies" by Robert Ellis

Emerging Act of the Year

• Hurray For The Riff Raff
• Parker Millsap
• St. Paul & The Broken Bones

Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires perform onstage at the 13th annual Americana Music Association Honors and Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium on September 17, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. ; Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Americana Music

Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell swept the major awards Wednesday night at the Americana Honors & Awards, creating another special moment with his wife, Amanda Shires.

Isbell won artist, album and song of the year during the 13th annual awards show Wednesday night at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Though surprisingly ignored by Grammy Awards voters, Isbell's album of the year winner "Southeastern" reverberated through the Americana community and made many of 2013's best-of lists.

He performed song of the year "Cover Me Up" with Shires, a significant figure on the album as muse and collaborator.

"I wrote this song for my wife," Isbell said. "I've had a lot of people ask me to dedicate it to their wives, girlfriends or cousin's wife or something strange like that. This was probably the hardest song I ever had to write because I wrote it for her and then I played it for her. It was very difficult. Do the things that scare you. That's the good stuff."

Isbell was one of this year's top nominees along with Rosanne Cash and Robert Ellis. Each had three nominations and all were up for artist, album and song of the year.

Many of the top nominees and honors recipients performed, including all five emerging artist nominees. Former couple Patty Griffin and Robert Plant made a surprise appearance and sang their collaboration "Ohio."

Sturgill Simpson, something of a modern cosmic cowboy, earned emerging artist of the year and the Milk Carton Kids took group/duo of the year. And Buddy Miller, now executive music producer for the television show "Nashville" and theAmericana's winningest performer, won his fifth instrumentalist of the year award.

The Americana Music Association also honored several pioneering musicians. Loretta Lynn received the lifetime achievement award for songwriting from Kacey Musgraves and Angaleena Presley.

"The truth is we both might cry giving out this award," Musgraves said.

Lynn, writer of some of country music's most important female empowerment songs, accepted the award in a sparkly lavender dress and her usual humble manner.

"When they told me I was going to get this award," she told the crowd, "I said, 'Naw, you got the wrong one.'"

Jackson Browne received the Spirit of Americana-Free Speech in Music award, Flaco Jimenez received the lifetime achievement award for instrumentalist and Taj Mahal earned the lifetime achievement award for performance.

"I was affected deeply by American music, near and far — my mother's interest in Southern music and my dad's interest in jazz and bebop and classical, all that kind of stuff," Mahal said in an interview. "But this music here, if you get this music, you can go anywhere in the world with it. For me, I play for the goddess of music. People ask me what I do and I go, deep Americana."

Source: Streetwise Reports 10/18/2024

American Salars Lithium Inc. (USLI:CSE; USLIF:OTC; Z3P:FWB; A3E2NY:WKN) announced it is strategically reviewing multiple Canadian mineral properties prospective for lithium close to recent pegmatite, or hard-rock, lithium discoveries.

The first project under review is about 150 kilometers north of Matagami, where there is a small town with a rail link to much of James Bay, and has the Billy Diamond Highway running through it.

American Salars said it's close to Q2 Metals Corp. (QTWOTSX-V; OTCQB:QUEXF) Cisco Lithium Project, which reported drill intercepts of 215.6 meters at 1.69% Li2O, including 64.6 meters at 2.29%. Also nearby are multiple projects owned by Sayona Mining Ltd (SYA:ASX), which is currently Canada's only lithium producer.

"Our primary objective remains the acquisition of low-cost lithium brine assets in Argentina while expanding our existing NI 43-101 lithium brine resources," said Chief Executive Officer and Director R. Nick Horsley. "We believe that Quebec-based hard rock lithium assets can now be acquired at deeply discounted prices and advanced with critical mineral flow through financing incentives in anticipation of the next lithium rally."

American Salars said it is reviewing additional projects close to Sayona, which will be subject to disclosure "once due diligence is completed and a deal is completed." The company stressed that its "intent to acquire property and current strategic review does not necessarily mean that a transaction will occur."

Current Assets Also in Argentina, Nevada

The company's existing portfolio of lithium deposits includes two NI 43-101-compliant Inferred Mineral Resource Estimates (MREs) consisting of 457,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) at the Candela 2 Lithium Brine Project and a shared MRE at the Pocitos 1 Lithium Brine Project consisting of 760,000 tonnes LCE. The Pocitos MRE is shared with the neighboring Pocitos 2 property, which is not under contract or owned by American Salars, but the company noted that none of the drilling that makes up a partial basis for the MRE took place on the Pocitos 2 block. Both brine projects are located in Salta Province, Argentina.

Major mining company Rio Tino recently invested in Argentina by acquiring Argentina lithium producer Arcadium Lithium for US$6.7 billion, making the company the world's third-largest lithium producer.

American Salars recently released assay results from soil samples collected during its Phase 1 exploration program at its 100%-owned Black Rock South lithium project close to Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada.

Technical Analyst Clive Maund wrote that the entire "San Emidio Desert basin is a highly prospective lithium exploration zone and is about 38 kilometers long and up to 11 kilometers wide at the widest point, with the central playa measuring about 8.5 kilometers north-south and 4.5 kilometers east-west."

Out of 38 samples, 33 recorded lithium concentration of more than 100 parts per million (ppm) or higher, the company said. The highest grade was 180.5 ppm with an average grade of 131 ppm across the 33 samples of the surface of the property.

Technical Analyst Clive Maund wrote that the entire "San Emidio Desert basin is a highly prospective lithium exploration zone and is about 38 kilometers long and up to 11 kilometers wide at the widest point, with the central playa measuring about 8.5 kilometers north-south and 4.5 kilometers east-west."*

"After a massive speculative runup in 2020 and especially in 2021, the lithium price fell victim to a severe bear market that ran from mid-2022 through the end of 2023," Maund continued. "By the end of last year, this bear market had exhausted itself, and a basing process began that has continued up to the present."

In addition to its location near the Gigafactory, Black Rock South is 93 miles southwest of Thacker and 215 miles northwest of the United States' only producing lithium mine, the Silver Peak lithium brine mine owned by Albermarle.

The Catalyst: More Growth Coming

Lithium is critical in the energy transition for its use in batteries for EVs and other applications. It also is used in electronics, medicine and other industries.

According to a report by Grand View Research, market size for the metal was estimated at US$31.75 billion last year and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7% from this year through 2030.

"The automotive application segment is expected to witness substantial growth, driven by stringent regulations imposed by government bodies on ICE automakers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles," researchers at Grand View said. "This has shifted the interest of automakers toward producing EVs, which is anticipated to benefit the demand for lithium and related products."

EVs and battery storage primarily will fuel future growth of the lithium market, Marin Katusa of Katusa Research wrote recently. He pointed out that all major electric vehicle batteries require lithium, about 1.55 pounds per kilowatt hour of battery capacity, on average.

"I think the data speaks for itself that there's more growth and opportunity on the horizon," Katusa wrote.

According to FastMarkets, prices for the metal have fallen over the past 18 months as weaker demand improved availability. However, this "has done little to deter the appetite for expansion," raw battery materials analyst Jordan Roberts told the publication.[OWNERSHIP_CHART-11095]

The consensus among market analysts points to a recovery in lithium prices in the fourth quarter of 2024, Fastmarkets reported.

"This optimism is grounded in expectations of increased activity . . . to meet end of year targets, strong battery production seen in March and April finally filtering through upstream and low inventory levels necessitating restocking," the website noted.

Ownership and Share Structure

American Salars said it has 28.8 million shares outstanding and 5.5 million warrants, according to the company.

As for insiders, the CEO Horsley owns about 1.83 million, or about 7.37%, with 4666,666 warrants. Strategic investor Hillcrest Merchant Partners owns 1 million shares or 4.03%. There are no institutional investors, and the rest is retail.

Its market cap is CA$4.79 million. It trades in a 52-week range of CA$0.45 and CA$0.08.

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Important Disclosures:

1. American Salars Lithium Inc. has a consulting relationship with Street Smart an affiliate of Streetwise Reports. Street Smart Clients pay a monthly consulting fee between US$8,000 and US$20,000.
2. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of American Salars Lithium Inc.
3. Steve Sobek wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee.
4. This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.

For additional disclosures, please click here.

* Disclosure for the quote from the Clive Maund source June 17, 2024

1. For the quote (sourced on June 17, 2024), the Company has paid Street Smart, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports, US$1,500.
2. Author Certification and Compensation: [Clive Maund of clivemaund.com] is being compensated as an independent contractor by Street Smart, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports, for writing the article quoted. Maund received his UK Technical Analysts’ Diploma in 1989. The recommendations and opinions expressed in the article accurately reflect the personal, independent, and objective views of the author regarding any and all of the designated securities discussed. No part of the compensation received by the author was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations or views expressed.

Clivemaund.com Disclosures

The quoted article represents the opinion and analysis of Mr. Maund, based on data available to him, at the time of writing. Mr. Maund's opinions are his own, and are not a recommendation or an offer to buy or sell securities. As trading and investing in any financial markets may involve serious risk of loss, Mr. Maund recommends that you consult with a qualified investment advisor, one licensed by appropriate regulatory agencies in your legal jurisdiction and do your own due diligence and research when making any kind of a transaction with financial ramifications. Although a qualified and experienced stock market analyst, Clive Maund is not a Registered Securities Advisor. Therefore Mr. Maund's opinions on the market and stocks cannot be only be construed as a recommendation or solicitation to buy and sell securities.

( Companies Mentioned: USLI:CSE; USLIF:OTC; Z3P:FWB; A3E2NY:WKN, )

L-R: Three Southern California retro fanatics, John Rabe, Chris Nichols, and Charles Phoenix; Credit: John Rabe/KPCC

Is it possible that the two titans of retro Southern California - Charles Phoenix and Charles Nichols - have never been on Off-Ramp at the same time? But maybe that brings up a larger question. Is it even possible for them to exist in the same place, at the same time, or would their meeting cause a cosmic singularity, an undarnable rending of the time-space continuum?

The answers are, stupidly, yes; and thankfully, yes.

Over the 11 years of Off-Ramp, "God Bless Americana" author Charles Phoenix and Los Angeles Magazine's Chris Nichols have played a large part in bringing interesting and endangered places to our listeners. From Pomona to Chatsworth to Bellflower to Anaheim, both men have made careers of highlighting and preserving things that in their day were seen as expendable, flavor-of-the-month, mass marketed creations. Like programmatic architecture (buildings that look like what they're selling or making, i.e. the Donut Hole in La Puente, the Idle Hour - a giant wine cask - in NoHo).

Yet, with hindsight, we've been able to see them as archetypal and important touchstones of our region.

For their final appearances on the show, they got in the Mercedes and shared their love of getting lost in Southern California.

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.

Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp. (PGE:TSX.V; PGEZF:OTCQB; J0G:FSE) has announced new assay results from its ongoing resource expansion drilling at the Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au project. Read more for detailed insights into the high-grade rhodium intercepts and resource expansion potential.

Source: Dr. Joseph Pantginis 11/04/2024

H.C. Wainwright & Co. analysts Dr. Joseph Pantginis, Dr. Lander Egaña Gorroño, Dr. Joshua Korsen, Dr. Matthew Keller, and Dr. Sara Nik, in a research report published on November 4, 2024, maintained their Buy rating on Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (LXRX:NASDAQ) with a price target of US$6.00. The report follows Lexicon's presentation of preclinical data for LX9851, its ACSL5 inhibitor for obesity, at ObesityWeek 2024.

The analysts highlighted key findings from the presentations, stating, "LX9851 promotes reduction of fat mass without affecting lean body mass" and "LX9851 improves and sustains GLP-1 RA-mediated weight loss, even after semaglutide discontinuation." They added that "Mechanistic studies suggest that LX9851-mediated ACSL5 inhibition activates the ileal brake."

Regarding the drug's potential, they noted, "LX9851 is a first-in-class, oral small molecule ACSL5 inhibitor designed to enhance and maintain weight loss promoted by incretin mimetics (GLP-1 receptor agonists), and offer improved treatment alternatives for obesity and related metabolic disorders."

The report also addressed recent developments with sotagliflozin, detailing the AdCom voting results and potential scenarios for FDA action. The analysts stated, "Although we anticipate favorable feedback from the agency regarding eGFR ≥60 to <90 range, our bet is that a confirmatory trial may be required to validate sota's efficacy in this subpopulation and obtain approval."

H.C. Wainwright & Co.'s valuation methodology is based on a clinical net present value (NPV) model. The analysts explained, "Our valuation is based on our clinical net present value (NPV) model, which allows us to flex multiple assumptions affecting a drug's profile. We currently value Lexicon solely on sotagliflozin sales in the U.S. for HF (INPEFA), HCM, and LX9211 for DPNP."

They added, "We believe significant upside potential exists, based on: (1) attaining higher market penetration for HF, and HCM; and (2) adding the earlier stage assets."

In conclusion, H.C. Wainwright & Co.'s maintenance of their Buy rating and US$6 price target reflects confidence in Lexicon's pipeline potential, particularly with LX9851 and sotagliflozin. The share price at the time of the report of US$1.22 represents a potential return of approximately 392% to the analysts' target price, highlighting the significant upside potential if the company's development programs prove successful.

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Important Disclosures:

1. This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.
2. This article does not constitute medical advice. Officers, employees and contributors to Streetwise Reports are not licensed medical professionals. Readers should always contact their healthcare professionals for medical advice.

For additional disclosures, please click here.

Disclosures for H.C. Wainwright & Co., Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc., November 4, 2024

This material is confidential and intended for use by Institutional Accounts as defined in FINRA Rule 4512(c). It may also be privileged or otherwise protected by work product immunity or other legal rules. If you have received it by mistake, please let us know by e-mail reply to unsubscribe@hcwresearch.com and delete it from your system; you may not copy this message or disclose its contents to anyone. The integrity and security of this message cannot be guaranteed on the Internet. H.C. WAINWRIGHT & CO, LLC RATING SYSTEM: H.C. Wainwright employs a three tier rating system for evaluating both the potential return and risk associated with owning common equity shares of rated firms. The expected return of any given equity is measured on a RELATIVE basis of other companies in the same sector. The price objective is calculated to estimate the potential movements in price that a given equity could reach provided certain targets are met over a defined time horizon. Price objectives are subject to external factors including industry events and market volatility.

H.C. Wainwright & Co, LLC (the “Firm”) is a member of FINRA and SIPC and a registered U.S. Broker-Dealer. I, Joseph Pantginis, Ph.D., Lander Egaña Gorroño, Ph.D., Joshua Korsen, Ph.D., Matthew Keller, Ph.D. and Sara Nik, Ph.D. , certify that 1) all of the views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views about any and all subject securities or issuers discussed; and 2) no part of my compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendation or views expressed in this research report; and 3) neither myself nor any members of my household is an officer, director or advisory board member of these companies. None of the research analysts or the research analyst’s household has a financial interest in the securities of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (including, without limitation, any option, right, warrant, future, long or short position). As of September 30, 2024 neither the Firm nor its affiliates beneficially own 1% or more of any class of common equity securities of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc..

Neither the research analyst nor the Firm knows or has reason to know of any other material conflict of interest at the time of publication of this research report. The research analyst principally responsible for preparation of the report does not receive compensation that is based upon any specific investment banking services or transaction but is compensated based on factors including total revenue and profitability of the Firm, a substantial portion of which is derived from investment banking services. The firm or its affiliates received compensation from Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for non-investment banking services in the previous 12 months. The Firm or its affiliates did not receive compensation from Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for investment banking services within twelve months before, but will seek compensation from the companies mentioned in this report for investment banking services within three months following publication of the research report. The Firm does not make a market in Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of the date of this research report.

The securities of the company discussed in this report may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial position. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This report is offered for informational purposes only, and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities discussed herein in any jurisdiction where such would be prohibited. This research report is not intended to provide tax advice or to be used to provide tax advice to any person. Electronic versions of H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC research reports are made available to all clients simultaneously. No part of this report may be reproduced in any form without the expressed permission of H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC. Additional information available upon request. H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC does not provide individually tailored investment advice in research reports. This research report is not intended to provide personal investment advice and it does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation and the particular needs of any specific person. Investors should seek financial advice regarding the appropriateness of investing in financial instruments and implementing investment strategies discussed or recommended in this research report. H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC’s and its affiliates’ salespeople, traders, and other professionals may provide oral or written market commentary or trading strategies that reflect opinions that are contrary to the opinions expressed in this research report. H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC and its affiliates, officers, directors, and employees, excluding its analysts, will from time to time have long or short positions in, act as principal in, and buy or sell, the securities or derivatives (including options and warrants) thereof of covered companies referred to in this research report. The information contained herein is based on sources which we believe to be reliable but is not guaranteed by us as being accurate and does not purport to be a complete statement or summary of the available data on the company, industry or security discussed in the report. All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the analyst’s judgment as of the date of this report and are subject to change without notice. Securities and other financial instruments discussed in this research report: may lose value; are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested.

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American Salars Lithium Inc. (USLI:CSE; USLIF:OTC; Z3P:FWB; A3E2NY:WKN) says it is strategically reviewing multiple Canadian mineral properties prospective for lithium. Prices for the metal important to the energy transition have fallen, but many analysts say they will recover.

Centerra Gold Inc. (CG:TSX; CADGF:OTCPK) has received varied analyst ratings following updates to its Q3 2024 financial results and projections. Read more on the latest analyst insights and how Q3 projections have shaped varied ratings for this gold producer.

Cyndy Benson, who recently retired as Family and Children�s Services program manager in the Department of Social Services, has received the Kimberly F. Crews Memorial Award from the N.C. Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. This award is presented annually to honor a person who works directly with children suspected of having been abused.

Three area mayors and several other local officials recently participated in Mayors for Meals in Catawba County. This event was sponsored by Catawba County Social Services� Senior Nutrition Programs, which operates Meals on Wheels, Seniors Morning Out and other senior nutrition programs serving more than 1,000 people.

During his tenure with Catawba County, Worsley has had a positive impact in many areas, including emergency services, the use of emerging technologies, and mentoring people who are just starting out in local government management.

Mary Furtado is currently serving as Executive Director of Strategic Operations for Sarasota County, Florida. She will begin her new duties in Catawba County on December 12, 2011.

Catawba County Assistant County Manager Dewey Harris has earned the International City/County Management Association's (ICMA) Credentialed Manager designation. Established in 2002, the ICMA Credentialed Manager program recognizes professional government managers whom the ICMA certifies as having a "commitment to continuous learning and professional development".

The agreement would substantially increase the number of items collected for recycling across Catawba County, with further expansion of items collected as needed over time; begin �single stream� collection of recyclable commodities so recycled materials would no longer be required to be separated at curbside; increase Republic Services� investment in Catawba County by $13 million; and protect more than 150 local jobs.

A customer walks behind a sign at a Nordstrom in Coral Gables, Fla., store seeking employees in May.; Credit: Marta Lavandier/AP

Two organizations filed a lawsuit against Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb in an attempt to block the state's push to end pandemic unemployment benefits on June 19.

Indiana Legal Services, an organization providing free legal assistance, and the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis filed the lawsuit on behalf of five unnamed plaintiffs who are set to lose their jobless benefits. The complaint was filed Monday in Marion County Superior Court.

This lawsuit may be the first of its kind that aims to stop states from ending these benefits earlier than Congress mandated.

The unemployment insurance program "has served as a vital lifeline for thousands of Hoosiers," the complaint, reviewed by NPR, says. "By prematurely deciding t0 stop administering these federal benefits, Indiana has violated the clear mandates 0f Indiana's unemployment statute—to secure all rights and benefits available for unemployed individuals."

Indiana is one of 25 Republican-led states that decided to end jobless aid in an effort to get people to return to work. Indiana and seven other states are set to end expanded unemployment benefits as soon as this weekend. This is despite Congress's authorization for extra payments until early September.

Those benefits include the extra $300 a week in federal aid and the special pandemic program for gig workers that allows them to receive jobless benefits. Ordinarily, independent contractors wouldn't be eligible.

Plaintiffs, as well as many other Indiana residents, rely entirely on the unemployment benefits to pay for food and rent and to care for their families, the complaint alleges.

Attorneys in this case are requesting the judge approve a preliminary injunction that would allow people to receive their benefits while the case continues.

Holcomb says it's time to get back to work

Holcomb told The Indianapolis Star that people no longer need unemployment benefits as the state has a plethora of jobs open.

"Eliminating these pandemic programs will not be a silver bullet for employers to find employees, but we currently have about 116,000 available jobs in the state that need filled now," he said.

According to the governor's office, Indiana's unemployment rate has recovered to 3.9% after climbing to 17% at the height of the pandemic.

The lawsuit challenges Holcomb's assertion.

Each of the five plaintiffs say they are unable to return to work due to lingering injuries or disability, health conditions that put them at risk for COVID-19 exposure, dependent children at home and no childcare available, or no positions that are available in their career field.

Workers of color feel the loss of unemployment the most

The National Employment Law Project says ending these jobless benefits early threatens the livelihoods of workers of color the most.

Millions of Americans still heavily rely on jobless aid as the country slowly reopens from pandemic-induced lockdowns, according to the organization.

As of May 22, more than 15.3 million people still needed some form of unemployment benefit—nearly twice the number who received payments when the aid programs began in late March 2020, NELP said.

According to its analysis, over 46% of unemployment insurance recipients in the states ending the programs early are people of color.

"The brunt of the impact will be felt by Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other people of color," NELP says.

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

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.

Good morning and welcome. There has been unprecedented interest in recent years about whether marijuana or its constituent compounds should be used as medicine. Since 1996, voters in seven states have approved the medical use of marijuana.

Many U.S. farmers who grow genetically engineered (GE) crops are realizing substantial economic and environmental benefits -- such as lower production costs, fewer pest problems, reduced use of pesticides, and better yields -- compared with conventional crops, says a new report from the National Research Council.

Every year, approximately 100 million* adult Americans experience chronic pain, a condition that costs the nation between $560 billion and $635 billion annually, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

The analysis used by federal agencies to set standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for new U.S. light-duty vehicles -- passenger cars and light trucks -- from 2017 to 2025 was thorough and of high caliber overall, says a new report from the National Research Council.

The best indicator of whether a disabled adult who receives Social Security benefits is capable of managing his or her benefits is evidence of real-world performance of meeting his or her own basic needs, rather than an office-based assessment of financial competence, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

To ensure the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is responsive to changing environmental conditions like climate change and sea-level rise, as well as to changes in water management, a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for a re-examination of the program’s original restoration goals and recommends a forward-looking, systemwide analysis of Everglades restoration outcomes across a range of scenarios.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offers a rigorous review of scientific research published since 1999 about what is known about the health impacts of cannabis and cannabis-derived products – such as marijuana and active chemical compounds known as cannabinoids – ranging from their therapeutic effects to their risks for causing certain cancers, diseases, mental health disorders, and injuries.

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 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announces the appointment of May R. Berenbaum as Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the official journal of the Academy. Berenbaum will begin the editorship on January 1, 2019.

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.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offers guidance to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to inform the next revision of a permit program that requires industries to manage stormwater to minimize discharges of pollutants to the environment.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examines the effects and efficacy of using dispersants in marine oil spill response.

Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan, executive vice president and chief research and innovation officer at Arizona State University (ASU), and ASU’s named representative to the National Academies’ Government-University-Industry-Research Roundtable (GUIRR), has been nominated by President Trump to serve as the next director of the National Science Foundation.

Categorizing workers with generational labels like “baby boomer” or “millennial” to define their needs and behaviors is not supported by research, and cannot adequately inform workforce management decisions, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The U.S.-based Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has formed a cooperative understanding with the Colombia-based Sociedad Panamericana de Investigación en Transporte y Logística (Pan-American Society of Transportation Research, PANAMSTR).

Communities must move from coping with floods to adapting for them. Kwame Owusu-Daaku, a former Gulf Research Program fellow, explains why living through floods in his native Ghana led him to Florida to help address the link between flooding and injustice.

Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina, communities across the Southeast are recovering from the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Learn more about advice that the National Academies have developed on managing evacuations during COVID, predicting storms and flooding, and preparing infrastructure for disasters.

Social distancing, disrupted routines, and a lost sense of security and safety have made some kids and teens vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic. A new set of tools from the National Academies helps kids and adults build skills to cope with stress.

Assessing the success of ecological restoration efforts since the Deepwater Horizon platform explosion and oil spill in 2010 will require continued improvements in data analysis and coordination across the Gulf of Mexico region.