The position- and time-resolved monitoring of a mechanochemical reaction using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction revealed a position-independent increase rate of product in the jar of a shaker mill.

We investigated the position and time dependence of a mechanochemical reaction induced by ball milling using in situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction with changing X-ray irradiation position. The mechanochemical reduction of AgCl with Cu was monitored in situ with the X-rays incident at two different vertical positions on the jar. Our previously developed multi-distance Rietveld method was applied to analyze the in situ diffraction data with a 1 min resolution. Both the vertical and the horizontal sample positions were determined using the sample-to-detector distances from the in situ data. Position dependence was found in the powder spreading and induction time. We reveal that the increase rate of the product is independent of the sample position when measured with a 1 min time resolution, confirming the validity of in situ monitoring of part of the space in a milling jar for a gradual mechanochemical reaction.

Coherent X-ray imaging is an active field at synchrotron sources. The images rely on the available coherent flux over a limited field of view. At many synchrotron beamlines a double-crystal monochromator (DCM) is employed in a standard nondispersive arrangement. For coherent diffraction imaging it is advantageous to increase the available field of view by increasing the spatial coherence length (SCL) of a beam exiting such a DCM. Here, Talbot interferometry data together with ray-tracing simulations for a (+ − − +) four-reflection experimental arrangement are presented, wherein the first two reflections are in the DCM and the final fourth reflection is asymmetric at grazing exit. Analyses of the interferometry data combined with the simulations show that compared with the beam exiting the DCM a gain of 76% in the SCL was achieved, albeit with a factor of 20 reduction in flux density, which may not be a severe penalty at a synchrotron beamline. Previous efforts reported in the literature to increase the SCL that employed asymmetric crystal diffraction at grazing incidence are also discussed. A much reduced SCL is found presently in simulations wherein the same asymmetric crystal is set for grazing incidence instead of grazing exit. In addition, the present study is compared and contrasted with two other means of increasing the SCL. These are (i) focusing the beam onto an aperture to act as a secondary source, and (ii) allowing the beam to propagate in vacuum an additional distance along the beamline.

Ultra-high-speed synchrotron-based hard X-ray (i.e. above 10 keV) imaging is gaining a growing interest in a number of scientific domains for tracking non-repeatable dynamic phenomena at spatio-temporal microscales. This work describes an optimized indirect X-ray imaging microscope designed to achieve high performance at micrometre pixel size and megahertz acquisition speed. The entire detector optical arrangement has an improved sensitivity within the near-ultraviolet (NUV) part of the emitted spectrum (i.e. 310–430 nm wavelength). When combined with a single-crystal fast-decay scintillator, such as LYSO:Ce (Lu2−xYxSiO5:Ce), it exploits the potential of the NUV light-emitting scintillators. The indirect arrangement of the detector makes it suitable for high-dose applications that require high-energy illumination. This allows for synchrotron single-bunch hard X-ray imaging to be performed with improved true spatial resolution, as herein exemplified through pulsed wire explosion and superheated near-nozzle gasoline injection experiments at a pixel size of 3.2 µm, acquisition rates up to 1.4 MHz and effective exposure time down to 60 ps.

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A new study shows that the West Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing some of the most rapid climate change on Earth, featuring dramatic increases in temperatures, retreats in glaciers and declines in sea ice. The Southern Ocean absorbs nearly half of the carbon dioxide -- the key greenhouse gas linked to climate change -- that is absorbed by all the world's oceans. The study tapped an unprecedented 25 years of oceanographic measurements in the Southern Ocean and highlights the need for more monitoring in the region. The research revealed that carbon dioxide absorption by surface waters off the West Antarctic Peninsula is linked to the stability of the upper ocean, along with the amount and type of algae present. A stable upper ocean provides algae with ideal growing conditions. During photosynthesis, algae remove carbon dioxide from the surface ocean, which in turn draws carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. From 1993 to 2017, changes in sea ice dynamics off the West Antarctic Peninsula stabilized the upper ocean, resulting in greater algal concentrations and a shift in the mix of algal species. That's led to a nearly five-fold increase in carbon dioxide absorption during the summertime. The research also found a strong north-south difference in the trend of carbon dioxide absorption. The southern portion of the peninsula, which to date has been less impacted by climate change, experienced the most dramatic increase in carbon dioxide absorption, demonstrating the poleward progression of climate change in the region.

Image credit: Drew Spacht/The Ohio State University

Between February 16 and 24, 2011, more than 2,500 students in Catawba County�s three public school systems received the 2010-11 flu vaccine due to a successful partnership between the schools and Catawba County Public Health. School nurses collected permission forms from parents and coordinated flu vaccine mini-clinics at 43 schools.

Women who might become pregnant need 400 micrograms of folic acid per day to reduce their risk of having a child with neural tube defects, according to the latest report on Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) from the Institute of Medicine.

The federal government should not increase the maximum level of copper allowed in drinking water, because higher levels could lead to liver poisoning in infants and children with certain genetic disorders.

Nurses roles, responsibilities, and education should change significantly to meet the increased demand for care that will be created by health care reform and to advance improvements in Americas increasingly complex health system, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

Veterans who participated in a series of tests during the 1960s known as Project SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) show no significant increase in adverse health outcomes, specific causes of death, or death rates compared with a similar group of veterans who were not involved in the tests, says a new report from a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The increase in the number of children from low-income families who are receiving federal disability benefits for speech and language disorders over the past decade parallels the rise in the prevalence of these disorders among all U.S. children, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine urges Congress, federal and state agencies, and regulatory institutions to significantly increase their support for innovation for what the report’s study committee calls “increasingly clean” electric power technologies – nuclear power, carbon capture and storage, and renewables such as solar and wind. Some of these technologies have seen recent cost and price declines and are cost-competitive in certain locations.

While workers in the engineering technology (ET) field play an important role in supporting U.S. technical infrastructure and the country’s capacity for innovation, there is little awareness of ET as a field of study or category of employment in the U.S., says a new report from the National Academy of Engineering.

The number of patients in the U.S. awaiting organ transplantation outpaces the amount of transplants performed in the U.S., and many donated organs are not transplanted each year due to several factors, such as poor organ function, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Consumer access to effective and affordable medicines is an imperative for public health, social equity, and economic development, but this need is not being served adequately by the biopharmaceutical sector, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Despite progress in recent decades, more than 10,000 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities occur each year in the U.S. To address this persistent problem, stakeholders -- from transportation systems to alcohol retailers to law enforcement -- should work together to implement policies and systems to eliminate these preventable deaths, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine proposes a framework for evaluating proposals to provide authorized government agencies with access to unencrypted versions of encrypted communications and other data.

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

Higher education leaders, policymakers, and the private sector should take a range of actions to strengthen STEM programs and degree attainment in the nation’s Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The lack of supportive policies for families in the United States, such as paid parental leave, has serious implications for health equity, as it affects families’ overall health and financial stability, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

NASA should collaborate with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), industry, academia to research the full effects that increased unpiloted air vehicle traffic would have on society, including ramifications to sound, privacy, environmental matters, and cybersecurity, 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 urges systemic action to change the culture in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) to address the underrepresentation of women in these fields.

Federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), should better coordinate their activities in plasma science research if the United States is to remain a leader in plasma science and engineering (PSE), says a new decadal report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The sustainability of the nation’s biological collections is under threat, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Colleges and universities should embrace sustainability education as a vital field that requires tailored educational experiences delivered through courses, majors, minors, and research and graduate degrees, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Decision-makers leading COVID-19 vaccine rollouts need to begin communicating with the public immediately if they have not already — emphasizing public support for vaccinations, leveraging celebrity and community champion endorsements, and focusing on those who are skeptical or hesitant of the vaccines rather than firmly opposed — to ensure demand and promote uptake, says a new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) impose billions of dollars in medical costs in the U.S., but STI prevention and control is chronically underfunded, stigmatized, and siloed from efforts to promote overall health and well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Nursing in the next 10 years will demand a larger, more diversified workforce prepared to provide care in different settings, to address the lasting effects of COVID-19, to break down structural racism and the root causes of poor health, and to respond to future public health emergencies, says a new report from the National Academy of Medicine.

The use of high-risk radioactive materials in medical, research, and commercial applications has increased by about 30 percent in the U.S. in the last 12 years, and the government should improve security, tracking, and accountability to reduce health and security risks — while also supporting the development of nonradioactive alternatives to replace them — says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Since the start of the pandemic, 2.5 million women have departed from the job market. A new rapid expert consultation says direct financial support, greater access to male-dominated jobs, and investing in child care can encourage women to return to the post-COVID workforce.

The United States should create a national strategy by end of 2022 to reduce its outsized and increasing contribution to plastic waste in the world’s oceans.

A range of organizations across the tech ecosystem — tech companies, colleges and universities, professional societies, and government agencies — should take steps to improve the representation of women of color in tech fields and careers.

Science academies from the G-7 nations issued statements urging their governments to take action on four global challenges — developing antiviral drugs to prepare for future pandemics, speeding progress on decarbonization, protecting the oceans and sea ice, and implementing a One Health approach to zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance.

The number of IoT devices (bots) engaged in botnet-driven DDoS attacks rose from around 200,000 a year ago to approximately 1 million devices, generating more than 40% of all DDoS traffic today, according to the report.

Oceanographers from MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution report that the northeast Pacific Ocean has absorbed an increasing amount of anthropogenic carbon dioxide over the last decade, at a rate that mirrors the increase of carbon dioxide emissions pumped into the atmosphere.

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CEOs and corporate lobbyists often spend plenty of time decrying how potential government regulations will affect their bottom line, but a new University of Kansas study finds that the U.S. Clean Water Act, when implemented in the right balance, improves firms' profitability.

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Snack food and wholesale bakery companies are building varying levels of automation in their warehouse shipping and receiving areas, ranging from forklifts to autonomous vehicles, to traceability software and more, all in an effort to make their operations more efficient, effective, safer, and more profitable.

Picking robots, automated storage and retrieval, and software that predicts future demand are among a host of technology, equipment and strategic changes that snack food and wholesale bakery companies are undertaking in their warehousing and logistics functions.

Read how R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company helped Levain Bakery meet a 200% increase in e-commerce demand during the pandemic.

To meet the needs of its growing business, Hudson Bread turned to Niverplast for its expertise in packaging automation for the bakery industry—specifically, a bag-in-box solution for its frozen artisan bread packaging line. 

tna completely redesigned and optimized the company’s manufacturing site in Parkersburg, West Virginia, achieving a 400% capacity increase. 

A packaging industry expert shares good practices lead to across-the-board benefits.

The past several years have been kind to the tortilla market. Tortillas and tortilla chips are essentials across U.S. retail and foodservice sectors, with steady growth over the past several years.

Innovative inclusions are geared toward delighting snack and bakery consumers while delivering BFY benefits.

Checking in on what’s new in the muffins bakery category.

The thaw-and-eat sandwich brand has grown from a $12 million property to about $800 million in annual sales, according to the company.

The agreement will expand the availability of Incredo Sugar to U.S. food companies.

In the wake of strong demand for Donkey Chips, the company needed new equipment to significantly increase production of its line of tortilla chips. Here's how they did it.

Honeywell introduced its latest technology breakthroughs and innovative solutions for manufacturers, distribution centers, logistics providers, delivery firms and retailers to help drive efficiency across their supply chain operations.