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A guide to central nervous system tomography

2018/10/122018/10/19

In-depth investigations on I13 to optimise soft tissue synchrotron X-ray microtomography

The Bradbury Lab at King’s College London, headed by Professor Elizabeth Bradbury, investigates damage to the central nervous system (CNS), and how the body responds to it. The traditional way of investigating soft tissue samples such as those of the central nervous system is 2D histology, in which slices are taken, stained and imaged. However, this process has limitations – slice thickness has a lower limit and measurements within cut slices are subject to inaccuracies arising from mechanical processing distortions. The group sent PhD student (now Dr) Merrick Strotton to the Diamond-Manchester Imaging Branchline I13-2 to investigate whether X-ray microtomography (a nominally non-destructive technique for taking a series of 2D images and turning them into a 3D volume) could avoid these issues. It wasn’t clear how to achieve the best possible results, and so alongside the biomedical studies, Dr Strotton worked with Diamond’s Dr Andrew Bodey on a series of methodological investigations on how to optimise imaging for soft tissue samples, the first results of which have recently been published in Scientific Reports.

Image: Segmentation of the low thoracic-high lumbar (T13-L1) level spinal cord sample from background, white & grey matter from spinal cord and vasculature from spinal cord with SuRVoS.
Credit: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-30520-8#Sec10

Samtack uses ALBA Synchrotron light for improving food packaging

2018/10/112018/10/19

Thanks to the CALIPSOplus European project, Samtack company is analysing at ALBA nanoparticles contained in a new food packaging system that will prevent food oxidation and extend its lifetime.

We all expect to purchase high quality and fresh food that, even if it has been kept for few days in the supermarket shelf, it still maintains its optimum safety and quality such as well as flavor. Different ambient conditions can modify food quality: moisture can affect the crispness of the product, oxygen can oxidize food with large fat components (e.g. potato chips) and change its taste, while light can degrade vitamins from milk or even remove the aromatic and volatile components from ground coffee and off-taste. Hence, different barriers are required to protect food from moisture, oxygen or light and that’s the point where packaging plays a key role. Packaging acts as a barrier and extends the product’s shelf life while contributing to diminish the amount of food that is thrown away and avoiding overproduction of food.

Samtack, founded in 1988 and based in Esparreguera (Barcelona), is a manufacturer of glues and adhesives specialized in the sector of graphic arts and packaging. Samtack has developed a new flexible multilayer system, in collaboration with the University of Zaragoza and the Complutense University of Madrid, that contains Selenium nanoparticles and is capable to increase food shelf life.

>Read more on the ALBA website

SwissFEL makes protein structures visible

2018/10/102018/10/18

Successful pilot experiment on biomolecules at the newest large research facility of PSI

For the development of new medicinal agents, accurate knowledge of biological processes in the body is a prerequisite. Here proteins play a crucial role. At the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL has now, for the first time, directed its strong light onto protein crystals and made their structures visible. The special characteristics of the X-ray laser enable completely novel experiments in which scientists can watch how proteins move and change their shape. The new method, which in Switzerland is only possible at PSI, will in the future aid in the discovery of new drugs.

Less than two years after the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL started operations, PSI researchers, together with the Swiss company leadXpro, have successfully completed their first experiment using it to study biological molecules. With that, they have achieved another milestone before this new PSI large research facility becomes available for experiments, at the beginning of 2019, to all users from academia and industry. SwissFEL is one of only five facilities worldwide in which researchers can investigate biological processes in proteins or protein complexes with high-energy X-ray laser light.

>Read more on the SwissFEL website

Image: Michael Hennig (left) and Karol Nass at the experiment station in SwissFEL where their pilot experiment was conducted.
Credit: Paul Scherrer Institute/Mahir Dzambegovic

Light at the end of the last tunnel

2018/10/102018/10/26

X-rays reach instruments HED and MID

During the afternoon and evening hours of Friday 5 October, the DESY accelerator team and the European XFEL photon commissioning team worked together to guide the first X-ray light through the last of the facility’s initial three X-ray beamlines, SASE2, and towards the last of the currently planned European XFEL instruments, the High Energy Density (HED) and Materials Imaging and Dynamics (MID) instruments.

At about midday on Friday, the X-ray light entered the photon tunnel leading to the SASE 2 instruments. To get there, the beam had to pass through a 12 mm horizontal aperture of the shutter collimator about 264 m from the source. In order to make this possible, alignment and vacuum system experts from the DESY accelerator group worked together during the last few months to precisely align the undulator section that generates X-ray laser light from accelerated electrons. This work was based on data obtained during the initial commissioning done in May 2018.

>Read more on the European XFEL website

Image: Screenshot of the first light.

Research on ancient teeth reveals complexity of human evolution

2018/10/092018/10/10

Fossil records enable a detailed reconstruction of our planet’s history and of the evolution of our species. In particular, teeth are a sort of biological archive that record in their structures (enamel, dentine and pulp chamber) the different phases of the human evolution. An international team of researchers led by Clément Zanolli from the Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier (France) has characterized human dental remains from Fontana Ranuccio (Latium) and Visogliano (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Italy through a comparative high-resolution endostructural analysis based on microfocus X-ray microtomography (mCT) scanning and detailed morphological analyses. We examined the shape and arrangement of tooth tissues (see Fig. 1) and compared them with teeth of other human species (see Fig. 2).

With an age of around 450,000 years before present, the analysed dental remains from the sites of Fontana Ranuccio, located 50 km south-east of Rome, and Visogliano, located 18 km north-west of Trieste, are part of a very short list of fossil human remains from Middle Pleistocene Europe and are among the oldest human remains on the Italian Peninsula.
From the data obtained through X-ray μ-CT measurements performed at the TomoLab station of Elettra and at the Multidisciplinary Laboratory of the ‘Abdus Salam’ International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste (Italy), we found that the teeth of both sites share similarities with Neanderthals but they are distinct from modern humans. This study adds to an emerging picture of complex human evolution in Middle Pleistocene Eurasia. The investigated fossil teeth show that Neanderthal dental features had evolved by around 450,000 years ago.

Image: Volume rendering of the Fontana Ranuccio (FR1R and FR2) and Visogliano (Vis. 1-Vis. 6) tooth specimens. The enamel is represented in blue while the dentine in yellow. All specimens were imaged by X-ray μCT at the Tomolab station of Elettra and at the Multidisciplinary Laboratory of the ICTP.
Credit: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189773

Golden nanoglue completes the wonder material

2018/10/092018/10/11

Modern microelectronics relies on semiconductors and their metal electrodes. High-performance device functionality demands high transistor density within a single chip, which soon will reach the physical limits of bulk materials. Alternatives have been found in atomically thin materials, e.g. graphene and its semiconductive inorganic relatives.

MoS₂ (molybdenum disulphide) is the representative inorganic layered crystal with properties similar to those of graphene. To be useful in applications, it must be joined to the metallic electrodes to enable charge flow between the metals and semiconductive (M/S) counterparts. In a recent study, scientists from University of Oulu, Finland have demonstrated the success of joining MoS₂to Ni (nickel) particles by using gold (Au) nanoglue as a buffer material. Through in-house observations and the first-principles calculations, the semiconductor and metal can be bridged either by the crystallized gold nanoparticles, or by the newly formed MoS₂-Au-Ni ternary alloy.
A metallic contact is formed, leading to enhanced electron mobility crossing the M/S interface.

Image: representation of gold nanoglue joining molybdenum disulphide and nickel.

Year of Engineering I23 Gripper Spotlight

2018/10/082018/10/11

Celebrating the Year of Engineering on Beamline I23

The Year of Engineering (UK) is all about celebrating the world and wonder of the industry, and exploring the wide range of ideas and innovations that Engineering involves. Today, we’re having a look at Diamond’s Beamline I23 – a specially designed instrument for protein crystallography that uses long wavelengths.
There are unique engineering scientific challenges involved in designing a system that will allow researchers to use long wavelengths of Synchrotron radiation effectively. The special cryogenically-cooled sample gripper on I23, is one of the solutions that makes this beamline successful. Learn more about this engineering innovation.

Molluscs use thermodynamics to create complex morphologies with exceptional properties

2018/10/082018/10/22

An international team has found how some molluscs create their complex structures.

Their work provides new tools for novel bioinspired and biomimetic bottom-up material design.
Nature serves as a source of inspiration for scientists and engineers thanks to the complex material architectures that make up some living organisms. These materials carry out essential functions, ranging from structural support and mechanical strength, to optical, magnetic or sensing capabilities. One example of this are molluscan shells, made of mineralized tissues organised in mineral-organic hierarchical functional architectures.

Molluscs appeared more than 500 million years ago, and they have developed hard and stiff mineralised outer shells for structural support and protection against predation. Their shells consist of mineral-organic composite structures made of calcium carbonates, mostly calcite and aragonite. The different shells exhibit a large variety of intricate three-dimensional assemblies with superior mechanical properties.

New clues to cut through the mystery of Titan’s atmospheric haze

2018/10/082018/10/12

A team including Berkeley Lab scientists homes in on a ‘missing link’ in Titan’s one-of-a-kind chemistry.

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is unique among all moons in our solar system for its dense and nitrogen-rich atmosphere that also contains hydrocarbons and other compounds, and the story behind the formation of this rich chemical mix has been the source of some scientific debate.
Now, a research collaboration involving scientists in the Chemical Sciences Division at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has zeroed in on a low-temperature chemical mechanism that may have driven the formation of multiple-ringed molecules – the precursors to more complex chemistry now found in the moon’s brown-orange haze layer.
The study, co-led by Ralf Kaiser at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and published in the Oct. 8 edition of the journal Nature Astronomy, runs counter to theories that high-temperature reaction mechanisms are required to produce the chemical makeup that satellite missions have observed in Titan’s atmosphere.

Image: The atmospheric haze of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon (pictured here along Saturn’s midsection), is captured in this natural-color image (box at left). A study that involved experiments at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source has provided new clues about the chemical steps that may have produced this haze.
Credits: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Space Science Institute, Caltech

Italy now European XFEL shareholder

2018/10/052018/10/08

On Friday 5 October, the Italian research organisations INFN and CNR officially became shareholders of European XFEL GmbH.

The National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and the National Research Council (CNR) together now own 2.9% of the company’s shares; one third going to INFN and two thirds to CNR. Italy has been a European XFEL partner country since the foundation of the company. With the acquisition of the shares, INFN and CNR – both designated by Italy as Italian shareholders – now also have full voting rights in the company’s supreme organ, the European XFEL Council. The Italian share of 2.9% in the company corresponds to the Italian contributions to the total European XFEL construction and operation budgets, making Italy the fourth largest funders following Germany, Russia, and France.

>Read more on the European XFEL website

Image: Representatives from DESY, European XFEL, INFN and CNR celebrate after the signing of the accession documents today. From left to right: Veronica Buccheri, INFN; Nicole Elleuche, European XFEL; Roberto Pellegrini, INFN; Rosario Spinella, CNR; Bruno Quarta, INFN; Reinhard Brinkmann, DESY; Robert Feidenhans’l, European XFEL; Christian Harringa, DESY.
Credit: European XFEL

New NSLS-II beamline illuminates electronic structures

2018/10/052018/10/30

MIT scientists conduct the first experiment at NSLS-II’s Soft Inelastic X-ray Scattering beamline.

On July 15, 2018, the Soft Inelastic X-ray Scattering (SIX) beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—welcomed its first visiting researchers. SIX is an experimental station designed to measure the electronic properties of solid materials using ultrabright x-rays. The materials can be as small as a few microns—one millionth of a meter.
The first researchers to take advantage of the world-class capabilities at SIX were Jonathan Pelliciari and Zhihai Zhu, two scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The pair used SIX to study a chromate sample, a fascinating material with novel applications in magnetism, batteries, and catalysis. Little was known about the electronic structure of the chromate sample the MIT team studied at SIX, and their research is aimed at unlocking the properties of this material. To do so, they needed the atomic sensitivity and energy resolution of the SIX beamline.

Picture: The sample chamber of the Soft Inelastic X-ray Scattering (SIX) beamline at NSLS-II allows scientists to mount their materials on a special holder that can be turned and moved into the beam of bright x-rays.

Impressions from the 30th MAX IV user meeting

2018/10/042018/10/11

At the 30^th MAX IV user meeting over 250 attendees met to discuss and learn for three days in Lund.

The impressions that we collected from the meeting are positive overall.
There was a very good atmosphere, good backup from the users, lively discussion, and full rooms for the parallel sessions. These are very important signs for for us going forward, says interim director Ian McNulty and science director Marjolein Thunnissen. We also talked to a few of the users who appreciated that the user meeting is a good place to meet with colleagues and collaborators to discuss and learn. The other comment that we got from several of them was that it was important that they now have a clear time plan and overview of the status so that they can plan for their experiments at MAX IV.

Nano-opto-electronics with Soapstone

2018/10/032018/10/23

Research shows potential of combining mineral with graphene for the design of new devices.

The development of electronic devices in the nanometric scale depends on the search for materials that have appropriate characteristics, and that are also efficient and inexpensive. This is the case of graphene, a material formed by a single layer of carbon atoms obtained from graphite. Graphene is a conductor with excellent optical and electrical properties that can be easily altered by the incidence of electric fields or light.

In addition, several other interesting structural, electronic and optical properties can be obtained by combining graphene with other materials. These new properties arise due to changes in the electronic structure in the interface of different materials when they are brought into contact. In this scenario, the search for new materials and ways of combining them becomes a natural trend.

Image: DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.7b01017

New approach to breast cancer detection

2018/10/032018/10/04

Phase contrast tomography shows great promise in early stages of study and is expected to be tested on first patients by 2020.

An expert group of imaging scientists in Sydney and Melbourne are using the Imaging and Medical Beamline (IMBL) at the Australian Synchrotron as part of ongoing research on an innovative 3D imaging technique to improve the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.

The technique, known as in-line phase-contrast computed tomography (PCT), has shown advantages over 2D mammography with conventional X-rays by producing superior quality images of dense breast tissue with similar or below radiation dose.
Research led by Prof Patrick Brennan of the University of Sydney and Dr Tim Gureyev at the University of Melbourne with funding from the NHMRC and the support of clinicians in Melbourne including breast surgeon Dr Jane Fox, is now focused on demonstrating the clinical usefulness of the technique.
Together with Associate Professor Sarah Lewis and Dr SeyedamirTavakoli Taba from the University of Sydney heading clinical implementation, the technique is expected to be tested on the first patients at the Australian Synchrotron by 2020.

Image: CT reconstruction of 3D image of mastectomy sample revealing invasive carcinoma

Single atoms break carbon’s strongest bond

2018/10/022018/10/02

Scientists discovered that single atoms of platinum can break the bond between carbon and fluorine, one of the strongest known chemical bonds.

An international team of scientists including researchers at Yale University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new catalyst for breaking carbon-fluorine bonds, one of the strongest chemical bonds known. The discovery, published on Sept. 10 in ACS Catalysis, is a breakthrough for efforts in environmental remediation and chemical synthesis.

“We aimed to develop a technology that could degrade polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), one of the most challenging pollutant remediation problems of the present day,” said Jaehong Kim, a professor in the department of chemical and environmental engineering at Yale University. “PFAS are widely detected all over the world, from Arctic biota to the human body, and concentrations in contaminated groundwater significantly exceed the regulatory limit in many areas. Currently, there are no energy-efficient methods to destroy these contaminants. Our collaboration with Brookhaven Lab aims to solve this problem by taking advantage of the unique properties of single atom catalysts.”

Image: Brookhaven scientist Eli Stavitski is shown at NSLS-II’s Inner Shell Spectroscopy beamline, where researchers imaged the physical and chemical complexity of a single-atom catalyst that breaks carbon-fluorine bonds.

First experiments reveal unknown structure of antibiotics killer

2018/10/022018/10/08

DESY-led international collaboration obtains first scientific results from European XFEL

An international collaboration led by DESY and consisting of over 120 researchers has announced the results of the first scientific experiments at Europe’s new X-ray laser European XFEL. The pioneering work not only demonstrates that the new research facility can speed up experiments by more than an order of magnitude, it also reveals a previously unknown structure of an enzyme responsible for antibiotics resistance. “The groundbreaking work of the first team to use the European XFEL has paved the way for all users of the facility who greatly benefit from these pioneering experiments,” emphasises European XFEL managing director Robert Feidenhans’l. “We are very pleased – these results show that the facility works even better than we had expected and is ready to deliver new scientific breakthroughs.” The scientists present their results, including the first new protein structure solved at the European XFEL, in the journal Nature Communications.

“Being at a totally new class of facility we had to master many challenges that nobody had tackled before,” says DESY scientist Anton Barty from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL), who led the team of about 125 researchers involved in the first experiments that were open to the whole scientific community. “I compare it to the maiden flight of a novel aircraft: All calculations and assembly completed, everything says it will work, but not until you try it do you know whether it actually flies.”

The 3.4 kilometres long European XFEL is designed to deliver X-ray flashes every 0.000 000 220 seconds (220 nanoseconds). To unravel the three-dimensional structure of a biomolecule, such as an enzyme, the pulses are used to obtain flash X-ray exposures of tiny crystals grown from that biomolecule. Each exposure gives rise to a characteristic diffraction pattern on the detector. If enough such patterns are recorded from all sides of a crystal, the spatial structure of the biomolecule can be calculated. The structure of a biomolecule can reveal much about how it works.

>Read more on the DESY website and on the European XFEL website

Image: Artist’s impression of the experiment: When the ultra-bright X-ray flashes (violet) hit the enzyme crystals in the water jet (blue), the recorded diffraction data allow to reconstruct the spatial structure of the enzyme (right).
Credit: DESY/Lucid Berlin