MxDC and MxLIVE: software for data acquisition,information management and remote access to macromolecular crystallography beamlines

An integrated computer software system for on‐site and remote collection of macromolecular crystallography (MX) data at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) is described. The system consists of an integrated graphical user interface for data collection and beamline control [MX Data Collector (MxDC)] which provides experiment‐focused control of beamline devices, and a laboratory information management system [MX Laboratory Information Virtual Environment (MxLIVE)] for managing sample and experiment information through a web browser. The system allows remote planning and transmission of sample and experiment parameters to the beamline through MxLIVE, on‐site or remote data collection through MxDC guided by information from MxLIVE, and remote monitoring and download of experimental results through MxLIVE. The system is deployed and in use on both MX beamlines at the CLS which constitute the Canadian Macromolecular Crystallography Facility.     

混合金属卤化物的超晶格与量子线特征

从紧束缚模型出发,发现周期性排列的两种金属卤化物材料可以形成超晶格和多量子阱(线)结构,并进一步研究了这种新型结构的性质随单体材料势垒和势阱宽度的变化规律,发现由金属卤化物形成的周期性结构表现出明显的量子阱(线)特征,对掺杂电荷的约束作用也非常强,从而证明了可以研制和开发基于金属卤化物的多量子阱(线)材料与器件. 关键词： 超晶格 量子阱 金属卤化物     

Computational design of precipitation strengthened austenitic heat-resistant steels

A new genetic alloy design approach based on thermodynamic and kinetic principles is presented to calculate the optimal composition of MX carbonitrides precipitation strengthened austenitic heat-resistant steels. Taking the coarsening of the MX carbonitrides as the process controlling the life time for steels in high temperature use, the high temperature strength is calculated as a function of steel chemistry, service temperature and time. New steel compositions for different service conditions are found yielding optimal combinations of strength and stability of the strengthening precipitation for specific applications such as fire-resistant steels (short-time property guarantee) and creep-resistant steels (long-time property guarantee). Using the same modelling approach, the high temperature strength and lifetime of existing commercial austenitic creep-resistant steels were also calculated and a good qualitative agreement with reported experimental results was obtained. According to the evaluation parameter employed, the newly defined steel compositions may have higher and more stable precipitation strengthening factors than existing high-temperature precipitate-strengthened austenite steels.     

WIFIP: a web‐based user interface for automated synchrotron beamlines

The beamline control software, through the associated graphical user interface (GUI), is the user access point to the experiment, interacting with synchrotron beamline components and providing automated routines. FIP, the French beamline for the Investigation of Proteins, is a highly automatized macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. On such a beamline, a significant number of users choose to control their experiment remotely. This is often performed with a limited bandwidth and from a large choice of computers and operating systems. Furthermore, this has to be possible in a rapidly evolving experimental environment, where new developments have to be easily integrated. To face these challenges, a light, platform‐independent, control software and associated GUI are required. Here, WIFIP, a web‐based user interface developed at FIP, is described. Further than being the present FIP control interface, WIFIP is also a proof of concept for future MX control software.     

一维体系的电声子相互作用和声子激发

通过一维金属卤素络合物模型和一维分子晶体模型研究了一维体系的电声子相互作用和声子激发．给出了在绝热近似下重整化的声子色散关系．结果表明：（１）两个模型中电声子相互作用不同，导致前者声频声子重整化可略而后者重整化修正明显；（２）与高分子材料的Ｓｕ-Ｓｃｈｒｉｅｆｅｒ-Ｈｅｅｇｅｒ模型不同，两个模型的声子谱均无能隙 关键词：     

The prominent role of resonant elastic scattering for solving the X-ray structure of macromolecules

This article is a short overview of basic principles, methods and instrumentation of phasing methods based on anomalous scattering for X-ray macromolecular crystallography (MX).     

Search for narrow tt resonances in pp collisions at square root of (s)=1.8 TeV

A search for narrow resonances that decay into tt pairs has been performed using 130 pb(-1) of data in the lepton + jets channel collected by the Dphi detector in pp collisions at square root of (s)=1.8 TeV. There is no significant deviation observed from the standard-model predictions at a top-quark mass of 175 GeV/c2. We therefore present upper limits at the 95% confidence level on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction to tt for narrow resonances as a function of the resonance mass MX. These limits are used to exclude the existence of a leptophobic top-color particle with mass MX<560 GeV/c2, using a theoretical cross section for a width GammaX=0.012MX.     

Beamline AR‐NW12A: high‐throughput beamline for macromolecular crystallography at the Photon Factory

AR‐NW12A is an in‐vacuum undulator beamline optimized for high‐throughput macromolecular crystallography experiments as one of the five macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines at the Photon Factory. This report provides details of the beamline design, covering its optical specifications, hardware set‐up, control software, and the latest developments for MX experiments. The experimental environment presents state‐of‐the‐art instrumentation for high‐throughput projects with a high‐precision goniometer with an adaptable goniometer head, and a UV‐light sample visualization system. Combined with an efficient automounting robot modified from the SSRL SAM system, a remote control system enables fully automated and remote‐access X‐ray diffraction experiments.     

Effect of Lattice Quantum Fluctuation on CDW of MX Solids

The reduction of charge density wave (CDW) amplitude of MX solids caused by the lattice quantum fluctuation is investigated in a wide range of electron-phonon coupling by using the self-consistent renormalization method. In contrast to polyacetylene, where the bond order wave (BOW) exists well in arbitrary coupling, the effect of the quantum Auctuatipn on CDW of MX solids distinctly depends on the coupling. When the coupling is strol; the reduction of CDW is small; but, if the coupling is weak, CDW is seriously suppressed and even nearly destroyed. This contrast is related to the fact that for weak coupling, the renormalized frequencies of both the acoustic and optical branches are greatly reduced in polyacetylene, but these frequencies in MX solids are not well different from the bare value ω₀.     

Fluorescence Imaging of Heat-Stress Induced Mitochondrial Long-Term Depolarization in Breast Cancer Cells

Various thermotherapies are based on the induction of lethal heat in target tissues. Spatial and temporal instabilities of elevated temperatures induced in therapy targets require optimized treatment protocols and reliable temperature control methods during thermotherapies. Heat-stress induced effects on mitochondrial transmembrane potentials were analyzed in breast cancer cells, species MX1, using the potential sensor JC-1 (Molecular Probes, Invitrogen, Germany). Potential dependant labeling of heat-stressed cells was imaged and evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and compared with control cells. JC-1 stains mitochondria in cells with high mitochondrial potentials by forming orange-red fluorescent J-aggregates while in cells with depolarized or damaged mitochondria the sensor dye exists as green fluorescent monomers. In MX1 cells orange-red and green fluorescence intensities were correlated with each other after various heat-stress treatments and states of mitochondrial membrane potentials were deduced from the image data. With increasing stress temperatures the intensity of red fluorescent J-aggregates decreased while the green fluorescence intensity of JC-1 monomers increased. This heat-stress response happened in a nonlinear manner with increasing temperatures resulting in a nonlinear increase of red/green fluorescence ratios. These data indicated that mitochondria in MX1 cells were increasingly depolarized in response to increasing ambient temperatures.     

Determination of Meloxicam Using Europium Sensitized Luminescence in the Presence of Co-Luminescence Reagents

A sensitive time- resolved luminescence method for the determination of meloxicam (MX) in methanol and in aqueous solution is described. The method is based on the luminescence sensitization of europium (Eu³⁺) by formation of ternary complex with MX in the presence of 1,10- phenanthroline as coligand, Tween-80 as surfactant and gadolinium ion as a co-luminescence reagent. The signal for Eu- MX-1, 10- phenanthroline is monitored at λ_ex = 360 nm and λ_em = 620 nm. Optimum conditions for the formation of the complex in aqueous system were 0.01 M TRIS buffer, pH 8.0, 1,10- phenanthroline (6.0 × 10⁻⁶ M) , Gd³⁺ (7.0 × 10⁻⁶ M), Tween-80 (0.28%) and 1.75 mM of Eu³⁺ which allows the determination of 20–800 ppb of MX with limit of detection (LOD) of 7 ppb. The relative standard deviations of the method range between 0.1 and 1.1% indicating excellent reproducibility of the method. The proposed method was successfully applied for the assay of MX in pharmaceutical formulations, plasma and in urine samples. Average recoveries of 99.8 ± 1.1%, 100.2 ± 0.9% and 100.9 ± 1.1% were obtained for MX in tablet, plasma and urine sample respectively.     

Theoretical Studies of g Factors and Defect Structures for Cubic, Tetragonal, and Orthorhombic Fe+ Centers in Alkali Halides MX (M=Li,Na;X=F,Cl)

The EPR g factors for cubic, tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe centers in alkali halides MX (M = Li, Na;X = F, Cl) are calculated from second-order perturbation formulas of g factors based on cluster approach for 3d7 ions in three symmetries. From calculations, the g factors of these Fe centers in MX crystals are reasonably explained and the defect structural data for the tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe centers are estimated. The results are discussed.     

The Early History and Personal Start-Up Stories of Synchrotron Radiation Research at Cornell University

Synchrotron radiation (SR) research at Cornell University is presently carried out at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), a National X-ray Facility on the Cornell Electron/Positron Storage Ring (CESR), a machine mainly dedicated to X-ray production and supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Each year, over a thousand scientists and students use a dozen X-ray stations for multidisciplinary research in physics, chemistry, biology, environmental and materials sciences, and engineering on a machine typically operating with compact undulators at 5.3 GeV and 100 to 200 mA.     

A CDW Model for MX Complexes: Hartree-Fock Scheme of Ground State

We study the effects of screened Coulomb electron-electron interactions in halogen-bridged. mixed-valence transition metal linear chain complexes (MX chains) applying lattice model with a double-well potential to simulate CDW ground state. With the periodicity of MX chain, we construct a complete set of orthogonal and normalized wave functions in view of the second-neighbor approximation. Starting from the restricted Hartree-Fock scheme, we diagnolize the Fock matrix analytically and calculate the LCAO-MO-SCF solutions. Our theory shows the dependence of charge transfer on the strength and screened coefficient of electron-electron interaction.     

Theoretical Studies of g Factors and Defect Structures for Cubic, Tetragonal, and Orthorhombic Fe^＋ Centers in Alkali Halides MX （M=Li, Na; X = F, C1）

The EPR 9 factors for cubic, tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe^＋ centers in alkali halides MX （M= Li, Na; X = F, CI） are calculated from second-order perturbation formulas of g factors based on cluster approach for 3d^7 ions in three symmetries. From calculations, the g factors of these Fe^＋ centers in MX crystals are reasonably explained and the defect structural data for the tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe^＋ centers are estimated. The results are discussed.     

Software for the high-throughput collection of SAXS data using an enhanced Blu-Ice/DCS control system

Biological small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provides powerful complementary data for macromolecular crystallography (MX) by defining shape, conformation and assembly in solution. Although SAXS is in principle the highest throughput technique for structural biology, data collection is limited in practice by current data collection software. Here the adaption of beamline control software, historically developed for MX beamlines, for the efficient operation and high-throughput data collection at synchrotron SAXS beamlines is reported. The Blu-Ice GUI and Distributed Control System (DCS) developed in the Macromolecular Crystallography Group at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory has been optimized, extended and enhanced to suit the specific needs of the biological SAXS endstation at the SIBYLS beamline at the Advanced Light Source. The customizations reported here provide a potential route for other SAXS beamlines in need of robust and efficient beamline control software. As a great deal of effort and optimization has gone into crystallographic software, the adaption and extension of crystallographic software may prove to be a general strategy to provide advanced SAXS software for the synchrotron community. In this way effort can be put into optimizing features for SAXS rather than reproducing those that have already been successfully implemented for the crystallographic community.     

混合卤化物中的极化子与双极化子

应用紧束缚双带模型对混合卤化物的电荷掺杂性质进行了计算,发现单电荷掺杂在混合卤化物中形成极化子,双电荷掺杂则形成稳定的双极化子;单体的长度和界面耦合都对极化子和双极化子的产生和稳定性有影响.混合卤化物的单体对掺杂电荷具有选择性;电子-电子相互作用并不能使形成双极化子的两个同号电荷相互排斥而形成两个单极化子.在具有电荷自发转移的材料中,混合卤化物单体对掺杂电荷没有像其他混合卤化物一样的选择性,掺杂电荷的定域位置取决于两种单体对该电荷的束缚能力. 关键词： 混合卤化物 极化子 电荷约束     

MX络合物中的晶格零点振动

利用自洽重整化方法,研究了不同电-声藕合作用下MX络合物中晶格零点振动对电荷密度波(CDW)的影响。对聚乙炔,无论电-声耦合作用强弱,键序波(BOW)总存在。而对MX络合物,计算表明,量子起伏对CDW的削弱作用依赖于电-声耦合作用的强弱。当电-声耦合作用强时,CDW的削弱小;相反,当电-声耦合作用弱时,CDW削弱大,甚至几乎被破坏。这一差异来源于以下事实,即在弱电-声耦合λ情况下,聚乙炔中光学模声子频率随λ^1/2减小,而在MX络合物中光学模声子频率与其裸值ω₀差 关键词：     

Single crystalline boron carbide nanobelts: synthesis and characterization

This paper reports that the large-scale single crystalline boron carbide nanobelts have been fabricated through a simple carbothermal reduction method with B/B2O3/C/Fe powder as precursors at 1100℃. Transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction characterizations show that the boron carbide nanobelt has a B4C rhomb-centred hexagonal structure with good crystallization. Electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis indicates that the nanobelt contains only B and C, and the atomic ratio of B to C is close to 4：1. High resolution transmission electron microscopy results show that the preferential growth direction of the nanobelt is [101]. A possible growth mechanism is also discussed.