[Science] :
Overcast skies are forecast nationwide Monday, with showers expected in the south of the country and parts of the central region. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, overcast conditions and rain are to continue Tuesday. The southernmost island of Jeju is expected to see about 120 ...

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[Science] :
More than a third of all tree species around the world face extinction due largely to climate change and deforestation. Citing a report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN), CBS News said 38 percent of tree species are at risk, threatening ecosystems, plants, animals and ...

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[Science] :
Temperatures in the country’s central region are expected to drop drastically starting Monday afternoon, and weather forecasters may issue a cold wave advisory for Tuesday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, mercury levels nationwide ranged between seven and 16 degrees Celsius on Monday ...

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[Science] :
Tuesday is set to see cold weather as temperatures drop sharply with strong, cold winds blowing from Monday.  The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that morning lows will stand between two and eleven degrees Celsius on Tuesday, down seven to 13 degrees from Monday.  Afternoon highs will be ...

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[Politics] :
A senior foreign ministry official says if the incoming Donald Trump administration were to engage in dialogue with North Korea, it would be crucial to reflect South Korea’s position in the process of realizing the talks. The official made the remarks to reporters in Seoul on Tuesday, saying ...

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[Domestic] :
Students taking this year’s College Scholastic Ability Test(CSAT) on Thursday are set to meet for venue checks on Wednesday. Test takers are required to visit their test sites Wednesday to check the locations and receive their admission tickets.  They need to check their admission tickets to be sure ...

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The world’s biggest companies don't just shape the global economy in an abstract sense; they provide the products and services that make modern life more convenient and connected than ever before. They set trends, drive innovation and set the course for smaller companies in every sector from technology to healthcare to finance.

[International] :
The operator of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said it retrieved a small amount of melted fuel from one of the reactors for the first time since a major earthquake and tsunami crippled the nuclear facility in 2011. According to Japanese media outlets on Thursday, the Tokyo Electric Power ...

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Blue and yellow flags are common among national and state flags, and the blue and yellow color combinations often symbolize nature.

Liquor and liqueur are spelled so similarly, it's easy to confuse them for being the same. But they're not. So how are they different?

Water just loves to stick around and leave stains behind. Most people have seen mold, but what do you do if your stain is pink?

On the morning of October 18, at Yeoido KBS HallKBS WORLD Radio filmed K-pop stars making their way to attend rehearsals for Music Bank.

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Explore Virgo men's traits, compatibility, and relationship dynamics. Learn what makes a Virgo man unique in love and if he's the right zodiac match for you.

Is Aquarius woman unique? Discover her free-spirited personality, loyalty in friendship, innovative mindset, and how she navigates love and relationships.

Explore Aquarius Season's unique energy, from innovation to social connection. Learn how this zodiac period influences creativity, relationships, and self-expression.

Is Gemini and Capricorn compatibility strong? Discover the unique dynamics, strengths, and challenges that Gemini and Capricorn face in love, friendship, and beyond.

[Economy] :
The Korea Development Institute(KDI) has recommended further easing of monetary policy tightening as it forecast that the slowdown in inflation will continue for the time being.  The state-run think tank made the recommendation in a report released on Monday that analyzed recent price fluctuation factors ...

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[Economy] :
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dipped 49-point-09 points, or one-point-94 percent, on Tuesday to close at two-thousand-482-point-57. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ slid 18-point-32 points, or two-point-51 percent, to close at 710-point-52.

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BGS launches digital version of UK legacy geothermal catalogue  ThinkGeoEnergy - Geothermal Energy News

BGS launches project to enhance value of ground investigation data  Ground Engineering

BGS collaborates with Icelandic colleagues to assess windfarm suitability  British Geological Survey

The crystal structure of a neo­pentyl­oxypillar[5]arene with two pyridine mol­ecules encapsulated in the macrocyclic cavity is reported.

This study examines the quality of charge density obtained by fitting the multipole model to wavefunctions in different basis sets. The complex analysis reveals that changing the basis set quality from double- to triple-zeta can notably improve the charge density related properties of a multipole model.

The L-edge EXAFS of the entire set of lanthanide oxides were collected and modeled, taking into consideration the aggregation of inequivalent absorbing sites, geometric parameterization of the crystal lattice and multielectron excitation removal.

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a widely used method for nanoparticle characterization. A common approach to analysing nanoparticles in solution by SAXS involves fitting the curve using a parametric model that relates real-space parameters, such as nanoparticle size and electron density, to intensity values in reciprocal space. Selecting the optimal model is a crucial step in terms of analysis quality and can be time-consuming and complex. Several studies have proposed effective methods, based on machine learning, to automate the model selection step. Deploying these methods in software intended for both researchers and industry raises several issues. The diversity of SAXS instrumentation requires assessment of the robustness of these methods on data from various machine configurations, involving significant variations in the q-space ranges and highly variable signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) from one data set to another. In the case of laboratory instrumentation, data acquisition can be time-consuming and there is no universal criterion for defining an optimal acquisition time. This paper presents an approach that revisits the nanoparticle model selection method proposed by Monge et al. [Acta Cryst. (2024), A80, 202–212], evaluating and enhancing its robustness on data from device configurations not seen during training, by expanding the data set used for training. The influence of SNR on predictor robustness is then assessed, improved, and used to propose a stopping criterion for optimizing the trade-off between exposure time and data quality.

Count-loss characteristics of photon-counting 2D detectors are demonstrated for eight bunch-modes at SPring-8 through Monte Carlo simulations. As an indicator, the effective maximum count rate was introduced to signify the X-ray intensity that the detector can count with a linearity of 1% or better after applying a count-loss correction in each bunch-mode. The effective maximum count rate is revealed to vary depending on the bunch-mode and the intrinsic dead time of the detectors, ranging from 0.012 to 0.916 Mcps (megacounts per second) for a 120 ns dead time, 0.009 to 0.807 Mcps for a 0.5 µs dead time and 0.020 to 0.273 Mcps for a 3 µs intrinsic detector dead time. Even with equal-interval bunch-modes at SPring-8, the effective maximum count rate does not exceed 1 Mcps pixel−1. In other words, to obtain data with a linearity better than 1%, the maximum intensity of X-rays entering the detector should be reduced to 1 Mcps pixel−1 or less, and, in some cases, even lower, depending on the bunch-mode. When applying count-loss correction using optimized dead times tailored to each bunch-mode, the effective maximum count rate exceeds the values above. However, differences in the effective maximum count rate due to bunch-modes persist. Users of photon-counting 2D detectors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the count-loss characteristics dependent on bunch-mode, and to conduct experiments accordingly. In addition, when designing the time structure of bunch-modes at synchrotron radiation facilities, it is essential to take into account the impact on experiments using photon-counting 2D detectors.

Improving the scalability of tissue imaging throughput with bright, coherent X-rays requires identifying and mitigating artifacts resulting from the interactions between X-rays and matter. At synchrotron sources, long-term imaging of soft tissues in solution can result in gas bubble formation or cavitation, which dramatically compromises image quality and integrity of the samples. By combining in-line phase-contrast imaging with gas chromatography in real time, we were able to track the onset and evolution of high-energy X-ray-induced gas bubbles in ethanol-embedded soft tissue samples for tens of minutes (two to three times the typical scan times). We demonstrate quantitatively that vacuum degassing of the sample during preparation can significantly delay bubble formation, offering up to a twofold improvement in dose tolerance, depending on the tissue type. However, once nucleated, bubble growth is faster in degassed than undegassed samples, indicating their distinct metastable states at bubble onset. Gas chromatography analysis shows increased solvent vaporization concurrent with bubble formation, yet the quantities of dissolved gasses remain unchanged. By coupling features extracted from the radiographs with computational analysis of bubble characteristics, we uncover dose-controlled kinetics and nucleation site-specific growth. These hallmark signatures provide quantitative constraints on the driving mechanisms of bubble formation and growth. Overall, the observations highlight bubble formation as a critical yet often overlooked hurdle in upscaling X-ray imaging for biological tissues and soft materials and we offer an empirical foundation for their understanding and imaging protocol optimization. More importantly, our approaches establish a top-down scheme to decipher the complex, multiscale radiation–matter interactions in these applications.

The methanol-to-hydrocarbons (MTH) process involves the conversion of methanol, a C1 feedstock that can be produced from green sources, into hydrocarbons using shape-selective microporous acidic catalysts – zeolite and zeotypes. This reaction yields a complex mixture of species, some of which are highly reactive and/or present in several isomeric forms, posing significant challenges for effluent analysis. Conventional gas-phase chromatography (GC) is typically employed for the analysis of reaction products in laboratory flow reactors. However, GC is not suitable for the detection of highly reactive intermediates such as ketene or formaldehyde and is not suitable for kinetic studies under well defined low pressure conditions. Photoelectron–photoion coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful analytical tool for unraveling complex compositions of catalytic effluents, but its availability is limited to a handful of facilities worldwide. Herein, PEPICO analysis of catalytic reactor effluents has been implemented at the FinEstBeAMS beamline of MAX IV Laboratory. The conversion of dimethyl ether (DME) on a zeolite catalyst (ZSM-5-MFI27) is used as a prototypical model reaction producing a wide distribution of hydrocarbon products. Since in zeolites methanol is quickly equilibrated with DME, this reaction can be used to probe vast sub-networks of the full MTH process, while eliminating or at least slowing down methanol-induced secondary reactions and catalyst deactivation. Quantitative discrimination of xylene isomers in the effluent stream is achieved by deconvoluting the coincidence photoelectron spectra.

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

In situ wavefront sensing plays a critical role in the delivery of high-quality beams for X-ray experiments. X-ray speckle-based techniques stand out among other in situ techniques for their easy experimental setup and various data acquisition modes. Although X-ray speckle-based techniques have been under development for more than a decade, there are still no user-friendly software packages for new researchers to begin with. Here, we present an open-source Python package, spexwavepy, for X-ray wavefront sensing using speckle-based techniques. This Python package covers a variety of X-ray speckle-based techniques, provides plenty of examples with real experimental data and offers detailed online documentation for users. We hope it can help new researchers learn and apply the speckle-based techniques for X-ray wavefront sensing to synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron laser beamlines.

Developing new materials for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries is a high priority in materials science. Such development always includes performance tests and scientific research. Synchrotron radiation techniques provide unique abilities to study batteries. Electrochemical cell design should be optimized for synchrotron studies without losing electrochemical performance. Such design should also be compatible with operando measurement, which is the most appropriate approach to study batteries and provides the most reliable results. The more experimental setups a cell can be adjusted for, the easier and faster the experiments are to carry out and the more reliable the results will be. This requires optimization of window materials and sizes, cell topology, pressure distribution on electrodes etc. to reach a higher efficiency of measurement without losing stability and reproducibility in electrochemical cycling. Here, we present a cell design optimized for nuclear resonance techniques, tested using nuclear forward scattering, synchrotron Mössbauer source and nuclear inelastic scattering.

The title compound, [RuGa2Cl6(C7H8)(CO)2] or [(CO)2(GaCl2)(η6-toluene)Ru]+[GaCl4]−, was isolated from the reaction of Ga2Cl4 with di­phenyl­silanediol in toluene, followed by the addition of Ru3(CO)12. The compound contains a ruthenium–gallium metal–metal bond with a length of 2.4575 (2) Å.

The crystal structure of 1,4-bis­(neopent­yloxy)pillar[5]arene, C95H140N2O10 (TbuP), featuring two encapsulated pyridine mol­ecules, reveals significant host–guest inter­actions. Inter­estingly, the pyridine guests are positioned near the neopent­yloxy substituents instead of the electron-rich aromatic core of the pillar[5]arene. This spatial arrangement suggests a preference for the pyridine mol­ecules to engage with the aliphatic regions of the host. Detailed analysis of the structural characteristics of this host–guest system (TbuP·2Py), as well as its packing pattern within the crystal network, is presented and discussed.

A confiscated package of street drugs was characterized by the usual mass spectral (MS) and FT–IR analyses. The confiscated powder material was highly crystalline and was found to consist of two very different species, accidentally of sizes convenient for X-ray diffraction. Thus, one each was selected and redundant com­plete sets of data were collected at 100 K using Cu Kα radiation. The selected crystals contained: (a) 1,2-diphenyl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)ethanone hy­dro­chloride hemihydrate or 1-(2-oxo-1,2-di­phenyl­eth­yl)pyrrolidin-1-ium chloride hemihydrate, C18H20NO+·Cl−·0.5H2O, (I), a synthetic cathinone called `α-D2PV', and (b) the sugar myo-inositol, C6H12O6, (II), probably the only instance in which the drug and its diluent have been fully characterized from a single confiscated sample. Moreover, the structural details of both are rather attractive showing: (i) inter­esting hydrogen bonding observed in pairwise inter­actions by the drug mol­ecules, mediated by the chloride counter-anions and the waters of crystallization, and (ii) π–π inter­actions in the case of the phenyl rings of the drug which are of two different types, namely, π–π stacking and edge-to-π. Finally, the inositol crystallizes with Z' = 2 and the resulting diastereoisomers were examined by overlay techniques.

The crystal structures of 16 boron sub­phthalo­cy­an­ines (BsubPcs) with structurally diverse axial groups were analyzed and com­pared to elucidate the impact of the axial group on the inter­molecular π–π inter­actions, axial-group inter­actions, axial bond length and BsubPc bowl depth. π–π inter­actions between the iso­indole units of adjacent BsubPc mol­ecules most often involve concave–concave packing, whereas axial-group inter­actions with adjacent BsubPc mol­ecules tend to favour the convex side of the BsubPc bowl. Furthermore, axial groups that contain O and/or F atoms tend to have significant hy­dro­gen-bonding inter­actions, while axial groups containing arene site(s) can participate in π–π inter­actions with the BsubPc bowl, both of which can strongly influence the crystal packing. Bulky axial groups did tend to disrupt the π–π inter­actions and/or axial-group inter­actions, preventing some of the close packing that is seen in BsubPcs with less bulky axial groups. The atomic radius of the heteroatom bonded to boron directly influences the axial bond length, whereas the axial group has minimal impact on the BsubPc bowl depth. Finally, the crystal growth method did not generally appear to have a significant impact on the solid-state arrangement, with the exception of water occasionally being incorporated into crystal structures when hygroscopic solvents were used. These insights can help with the design and fine-tuning of the solid-state structures of BsubPcs as they continue to be developed as functional materials in organic electronics.

Catalase is an antioxidant enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into molecular oxygen and water. In all monofunctional catalases the pathway that H2O2 takes to the catalytic centre is via the `main channel'. However, the structure of this channel differs in large-subunit and small-subunit catalases. In large-subunit catalases the channel is 15 Å longer and consists of two distinct parts, including a hydrophobic lower region near the heme and a hydrophilic upper region where multiple H2O2 routes are possible. Conserved glutamic acid and threonine residues are located near the intersection of these two regions. Mutations of these two residues in the Scytalidium thermophilum catalase had no significant effect on catalase activity. However, the secondary phenol oxidase activity was markedly altered, with kcat and kcat/Km values that were significantly increased in the five variants E484A, E484I, T188D, T188I and T188F. These variants also showed a lower affinity for inhibitors of oxidase activity than the wild-type enzyme and a higher affinity for phenolic substrates. Oxidation of heme b to heme d did not occur in most of the studied variants. Structural changes in solvent-chain integrity and channel architecture were also observed. In summary, modification of the main-channel gate glutamic acid and threonine residues has a greater influence on the secondary activity of the catalase enzyme, and the oxidation of heme b to heme d is predominantly inhibited by their conversion to aliphatic and aromatic residues.

Investigation of isostructurality leads to a deeper understanding of close-packing principles and contributes to the ability of crystal engineering. A given packing motif may tolerate small molecular changes within a limit. Slight alterations of a crystal packing arrangement are carried out in order to fine-tune the structural and macroscopic properties, keeping the balance of the spatial requirements and electrostatic effects of the altered molecules in the crystals, preserving their isostructurality. Even so, the definition of isostructurality is not explicit about several issues. Are the corresponding structures required to have the same stoichiometry, Z', symmetry elements and the same space group? Because it is not obvious in the definition, studies on structure analysis and software calculating various numerical descriptors developed for the quantitative comparison of the degree of similarity of isostructural crystals self-define their criteria. The extent of the difference between corresponding crystal structures referred to as isostructural is not limited. Should it be determined numerically? There is nothing in the definition about a demand for similar supramolecular arrangements in isostructural crystals. Should the similarity of supramolecular interactions be a criterion of isostructurality? The definition of isostructurality deserves reconsideration regarding symmetry, measure of similarity and formation of supramolecular interactions.

Investigation of the analyte soaking conditions on the crystalline sponge {[(ZnI2)3(tpt)2·x(solvent)]n} method using a statistical design of experiments model has provided fundamental insights into the influence of experimental variables. This approach focuses on a single analyte tested via 60 experiments (20 unique conditions) to identify the main effects for success and overall guest structure quality. This is employed as a basis for the development of a novel molecular structure grading system that enables the quantification of guest exchange quality.

Light–oxygen–voltage (LOV) domains are small photosensory flavoprotein modules that allow the conversion of external stimuli (sunlight) into intra­cellular signals responsible for various cell behaviors (e.g. phototropism and chloro­plast relocation). This ability relies on the light-induced formation of a covalent thio­ether adduct between a flavin chromophore and a reactive cysteine from the protein environment, which triggers a cascade of structural changes that result in the activation of a serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) kinase. Recent developments in time-resolved crystallography may allow the activation cascade of the LOV domain to be observed in real time, which has been elusive. In this study, we report a robust protocol for the production and stable delivery of microcrystals of the LOV domain of phototropin Phot-1 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrPhotLOV1) with a high-viscosity injector for time-resolved serial synchrotron crystallography (TR-SSX). The detailed process covers all aspects, from sample optimization to data collection, which may serve as a guide for soluble protein preparation for TR-SSX. In addition, we show that the crystals obtained preserve the photoreactivity using infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, the results of the TR-SSX experiment provide high-resolution insights into structural alterations of CrPhotLOV1 from Δt = 2.5 ms up to Δt = 95 ms post-photoactivation, including resolving the geometry of the thio­ether adduct and the C-terminal region implicated in the signal transduction process.

This paper summarizes brief perspectives on the historic process of establishing an African Crystallographic Association (AfCA) and includes representative references. It covers activities within four arbitrarily selected, approximate time slots, i.e., 1890s–1999, 2000–2013, 2014–2019 and 2020–2023. A genuine attempt is made to include appropriate role players, organizations and accompanying events within these periods. It concludes with the official admission of AfCA as the fifth Regional Associate of the IUCr at the 26th Congress and General Assembly of the IUCr in Melbourne, Australia in 2023.

In the title compound, C25H25NO7S, the mol­ecular conformation is stabilized by intra­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which form S(6) and S(8) ring motifs, respectively. The mol­ecules are bent at the S atom with a C—SO2—NH—C torsion angle of −70.86 (11)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming mol­ecular layers parallel to the (100) plane. C—H⋯π inter­actions are observed between these layers.

When reacted in dry, degassed toluene, [Ir(COD)Cl]2 (COD = cyclo­octa-1,5-diene) and 2 equivalents of 2-(di-tert-butyl­phosphinito)anthra­quinone (tBuPOAQH) were found to form a unique tri-iridium compound consisting of one monoanionic dinuclear tri-μ-chlorido complex bearing one bidentate tBuPOAQ ligand per iridium, which was charge-balanced by an outer sphere [Ir(toluene)(COD)]+ ion, the structure of which has not previously been reported. This product, which is a toluene solvate, namely, (η2:η2-cyclo­octa-1,5-diene)(η6-toluene)­iridium(I) tri-μ-chlorido-bis­({3-[(di-tert-butyl­phosphan­yl)­oxy]-9,10-dioxoanthracen-2-yl}hydridoiridium(III)) toluene monosolvate, [Ir(C7H8)(C8H12)][Ir2H2(C22H24O3P)2Cl3]·C7H8 or [Ir(toluene)(COD)][Ir(κ-P,C-tBuPOAQ)(H)]2(μ-Cl)3]·toluene, formed as small orange platelets at room temperature, crystallizing in the triclinic space group Poverline{1}. The cation and anion are linked via weak C—H⋯O inter­actions. The stronger inter­molecular attractions are likely the offset parallel π–π inter­actions, which occur between the toluene ligands of pairs of inverted cations and between pairs of inverted anthra­quinone moieties, the latter of which are capped by toluene solvate mol­ecules, making for π-stacks of four mol­ecules each. The related ligand, 2-(di-tert-butyl­phosphinometh­yl)-anthra­quinone (tBuPCAQH), did not form crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction under analogous reaction conditions. However, when the reaction was conducted in chloro­form, yellow needles readily formed following addition of 1 atm of carbon monoxide. Diffraction studies revealed a neutral, dinuclear, di-μ-chlorido complex, di-μ-chlorido-bis­(carbon­yl{3-[(di-tert-butyl­phosphan­yl)­oxy]-9,10-dioxoanthracen-2-yl}hydridoiridium(I)), [Ir2H2(C23H26O2P)2Cl2(CO)2] or [Ir(κ-P,C-tBuPCAQ)(H)(CO)(μ-Cl)]2, Ir2C48H54Cl2O6P2, again crystallizing in space group Poverline{1}. Offset parallel π–π inter­actions between anthra­quinone groups of adjacent mol­ecules link the mol­ecules in one dimension.

A host–guest supra­molecular inclusion complex was obtained from the co-crystallization of A1/A2-bromo­but­oxy-hy­droxy difunctionalized pillar[5]arene (PilButBrOH) with adipo­nitrile (ADN), C47H53.18Br0.82O10·C6H8N2. The adipo­nitrile guest is stabilized within the electron-rich cavity of the pillar[5]arene host via multiple C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π inter­actions. Both functional groups on the macrocyclic rim are engaged in supra­molecular inter­actions with an adjacent inclusion complex via hydrogen-bonding (O—H⋯N or C—H⋯Br) inter­actions, resulting in the formation of a supra­molecular dimer in the crystal structure.

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

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.

X-ray Laue microdiffraction aims to characterize microstructural and mechanical fields in polycrystalline specimens at the sub-micrometre scale with a strain resolution of ∼10−4. Here, a new and unique Laue microdiffraction setup and alignment procedure is presented, allowing measurements at temperatures as high as 1500 K, with the objective to extend the technique for the study of crystalline phase transitions and associated strain-field evolution that occur at high temperatures. A method is provided to measure the real temperature encountered by the specimen, which can be critical for precise phase-transition studies, as well as a strategy to calibrate the setup geometry to account for the sample and furnace dilation using a standard α-alumina single crystal. A first application to phase transitions in a polycrystalline specimen of pure zirconia is provided as an illustrative example.

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.

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.

The workshop titled `X-ray-based technologies in emerging fuel cell research', organized by Vivian Stojanoff from Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Narayanasami Sukumar from Cornell University/Advanced Photon Source-Northeastern Collaborative Access Team, was a notable segment of the National Synchrotron Light Source II and Center for Functional Nanomaterials Users' Meeting held 13–17 May 2024. This one-day event, on 13 May 2024, at BNL in New York, aimed to bring together researchers, beamline scientists, management and developers to propel fuel cell technology forward using model systems inspired by natural photosynthesis and redox enzymes. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, advancements and future implications of the workshop.

Here, a morphologically based approach is used for the in situ characterization of 3D growth rates of facetted crystals from the solution phase. Crystal images of single crystals of the β-form of l-glutamic acid are captured in situ during their growth at a relative supersaturation of 1.05 using transmission optical microscopy. The crystal growth rates estimated for both the {101} capping and {021} prismatic faces through image processing are consistent with those determined using reflection light mode [Jiang, Ma, Hazlehurst, Ilett, Jackson, Hogg & Roberts (2024). Cryst. Growth Des. 24, 3277–3288]. The growth rate in the {010} face is, for the first time, estimated from the shadow widths of the {021} prismatic faces and found to be typically about half that of the {021} prismatic faces. Analysis of the 3D shape during growth reveals that the initial needle-like crystal morphology develops during the growth process to become more tabular, associated with the Zingg factor evolving from 2.9 to 1.7 (>1). The change in relative solution supersaturation during the growth process is estimated from calculations of the crystal volume, offering an alternative approach to determine this dynamically from visual observations.