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Newsletter============================================CLS E-News Vol. 6 No. 1 August 28, 2008 www.lightsource.ca University of Saskatchewan, Canada ============================================
********************************************** 1. JOSEF’S JOURNAL After a mere two weeks on my new job as executive director of CLS, I am very excited to be here, and I look forward to all the opportunities and challenges ahead. I am grateful for what my CLS colleagues, users, and other stakeholders have already achieved, and I am committed to building upon the work of my talented predecessors, Mike Bancroft, Mark de Jong, and Bill Thomlinson, to grow this world-leading centre of excellence in synchrotron science. Based on my own experience as a synchrotron radiation user for more than 30 years, I look forward to working with the scientific community to promote the use of synchrotron light, create industrial partnerships and innovation, and engage in scientific and educational outreach. I am certain that by continuing these efforts the CLS will grow into one of the best synchrotron radiation user facilities in the world. Over the next few weeks, I will seek every opportunity to meet and learn from colleagues, users, customers, and stakeholders. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at anytime with ideas about how we can continue to grow this world-class facility. Josef Hormes 2. CALL FOR PROPOSALS – DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 29 The Canadian Light Source Call for Proposals is open for scheduling beamtime for the January-June, 2009 period. View Cycle 9 schedule at http://www.lightsource.ca/operations/pdf/Cycle_9_Jan-June_2009.pdf GENERAL USER PROPOSALS received for operational beamlines will be reviewed for safety and technical feasibility and scored for scientific merit by an external review committee. Research time obtained through this process (competitive peer review) takes place twice per year. General User research should result in the publishing of scientific results. You have the option of submitting a NEW proposal or submitting a Beam Time Request against an Active Proposal. Allocation of shifts for January-June, 2009 will be based on the highest ranked proposals (both new and active). To view evaluation criteria used in reviewing and rating proposals see http://www.lightsource.ca/uso/proposal_writing_tips.php or to compare your score to others on the same beamline, please visit http://www.lightsource.ca/uso/results_of_call.php. Six shifts are available for Single Bunch Mode. Users, including beamteam members, are requested to submit a General User Proposal specifically for Single Bunch.
For more information, please visit our website: http://www.lightsource.ca/uso/call_proposals.php . LETTERS OF INTENT Letters of Intent provide the opportunity to perform some exploratory experiments as the beamline is being commissioned. Research must be discussed with the appropriate CLSI beamline scientist prior to submitting an application.Beamlines accepting Letters of Intent (http://www.lightsource.ca/experimental/intent_letter.php) include:
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at mailto:clsuo@lightsource.ca or 306-657-3700. 3. SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT: MEASUREMENT OF MOLECULAR ORIENTATION IN A SUBCELLULAR COMPARTMENT BY SYNCHROTRON INFRARED SPECTROMICROSCOPY The authors demonstrate that synchrotron Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectromicroscopy can be used to obtain detailed orientation parameters of biomolecules within a subcellular compartment. FTIR is an informative technique for the study of biological molecules; it provides insight into both structure and mechanism. To date, most FTIR studies are performed using partially or fully purified biomolecules, often reconstituted under conditions that mimic some features of their native cellular environment. The authors are now aiming to extend the scope of the technique by performing detailed spectroscopic analysis of specific biomolecules in vivo. The usefulness of synchrotron FTIR spectroscopy for the direct study of structure and reactivity in subcellular modules has been recently suggested by Hofmann and co-workers. However, to date, no experimental demonstration of the feasibility of such approach has been obtained. This work provides the first such example by showing that synchrotron FTIR spectromicroscopy can be used to measure vibrational linear dichroism (VLD) within individual vertebrate photoreceptor rod cells and to quantify the orientation of major molecular components. Quaroni, L., Zlateva, T., Bedolla, D., Massaro, S. & Torre, V. Measurement of Molecular Orientation in a Subcellular Compartment by Synchrotron Infrared Spectromicroscopy. ChemPhysChem 2008, 9, 1380 – 1382. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cphc.200800211 4. SCIENCESTUDIO PROJECT STARTS As part of the CANARIE Network Enabled Platforms Program, the ScienceStudio project was recently funded. Between the summer of 2008 and December of 2010, we will be developing a beamline remote access system that will provide the capabilities for remote control of some classes of experiments at the CLS, as well as integrated access to experimental data, sample management, user office functionality, integrated grid, and stream computing capabilities. The ScienceStudio architecture is based on a service-oriented architecture and provides for integration of EPICS based beamline control and data acquisition systems. This venture, which is initially being targeted at the VESPERS beamline, and will eventually be made available on other beamlines such as CMCF, builds on the past success of the Remote Beamline Access project (http://www.lightsource.ca/operations/remote_access_project/). The lead contractor for ScienceStudio is the University of Western Ontario, with partners including the Canadian Light Source, IBM Canada in Ottawa, and Concordia University. For additional information, please go to http://www.sciencestudio.ca 5. SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT: ALLOY-STRUCTURE-DEPENDENT ELECTRONIC BEHAVIOR AND SURFACE PROPERTIES OF AU–PD NANOPARTICLES A series of Au–Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using mixed n-odecylamine/tetraoctylphosphonium bromide ligands and characterized with UV–Vis absorption, TEM, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), XAFS simulations, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and catalytic hydrogenation reactions. Enriched Au core–Pd shell structures were found for the 75% and 50% Au NPs and a cluster-on-cluster structure was identified for the 25% Au NPs. Alloy-structure-dependent electronic behavior (e.g. Au 5d electronic density) and surface properties (e.g. surface reactivity) were revealed for these NPs. The results were consistently accounted for by considering the size, surface and alloying effects of the NPs. Liu, F. Wechsler, D., & Zhang, P., Alloy-structure-dependent electronic behavior and surface properties of Au–Pd nanoparticles. Chemical Physical Letters 461 (2008) 254-259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2008.07.029 6. WIRMS2009 – SEPTEMBER 14 - 18, 2009 – BANFF, CANADA We are pleased to announce that the Fifth International Workshop on Infrared Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Accelerator Based Sources (WIRMS 2009) will take place in Banff, Canada, on September 14 - 18, 2009. WIRMS attracts synchrotron radiation (SR) and free electron laser (FEL) scientists as well as users from around the world to discuss the latest developments and the future directions of the fields of infrared microscopy and spectroscopy, and to promote applications that are ever more promising. Another important mission of this workshop is for active experts to provide young researchers and graduate students with a good introduction to this rapidly advancing field. Please bookmark the meeting website for regularly updated information: http://www.lightsource.ca/wirms2009/ 7. MEDSI 2008 PROCEEDINGS NOW AVAILABLE MEDSI 2008 proceedings are now available to be viewed and/or downloaded on our website at http://www.lightsource.ca/medsi-sri2008/program.php 8. INTRODUCING NEW STAFF Mike Finney, Mechanical Engineer, brings extensive experience from the health care system, which included capital construction, facilities maintenance, and operations. Mike’s experience will be instrumental in developing and implementing an Asset Management and Work Order system for CLS. Lisa Van Loon, our new Industrial Scientist received her Ph.D. in analytical and physical chemistry in 2007. The focus of her research is in surface analysis and aerosol morphology and characterization. Lisa is interested in addressing issues in environmental and atmospheric chemistry. We are also pleased to announce two internal transfers that have taken place recently.
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