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Newsletter============================================CLS E-News Vol. 6 No. 4 November 27, 2008 www.lightsource.ca University of Saskatchewan, Canada ============================================
********************************************** 1. GENERAL USER PROPOSAL RESULTS: JANUARY-JUNE, 2009 CLS held its sixth Peer Review Committee (PRC) meeting on November 3, chaired by Tony Van Buuren (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory). The PRC reviewed general user proposals for beam time requested for the January-June, 2009 period. Five Phase I beamlines participated in this call. 61 new proposals were received, along with 22 beam time requests against existing proposals, for a total of 83. The PRC rated the new proposals on a scale of one to five, one being the highest score. Beam time was allocated to 62 proposals based on each proposal's ranking in relation to all other proposals for a given beamline. A cut-off score was assigned if the total requests for beam time on a beamline exceeded the time available. To view details on the results see http://www.lightsource.ca/uso/results_of_call.php 2. 2008 ACTIVITY REPORT: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The deadline for submissions is January 26, 2009. 3. SORTABLE BEAMLINES PILOT WEBPAGE We have updated the beamlines webpage to include a sorting capacity: http://www.lightsource.ca/experimental/ This improvement will give current and new CLS users and customers to ability to search in different ways. They will now be able to:
As always, we count on your feedback and welcome your advice to continue to improve the user friendliness of our website. 4. SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT: Mapping the Speciation of Iron in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Using Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy An important feature of microbial communities is the spatial heterogeneity of extracellular chemistry. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) was used to map the spatial distribution of iron species throughout Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms to assess the influence of chemical heterogeneity on biomineralization. P. aeruginosa biofilms were treated with Fe(III)-amended media. Speciation and quantitative mapping using STXM image sequences in the Fe 2p3/2 (L3) absorption edge region revealed both Fe(II) and Fe(III) in localized microenvironments. Fe(III) was mainly associated with cell surfaces, while small amounts of Fe(II) was found in the extracellular space. Biofilms were also characterized using C 1s edge STXM image sequences. Anaerobic growth assays and confocal microscopy revealed the inability of P. aeruginosa to directly reduce Fe(III), implicating indirect iron reduction mechanisms in the formation of fine-grained, multivalent minerals. These studies suggest that geochemical microenvironments found throughout microbial communities are even more complex than previously believed. Hunter, R.C., Hitchcock, A.P., Dynes, J.J., Obst, M., & Beveridge, T.J. (2008). Environmental Science and Technology. Publication Date (Web): October 28, 2008. DOI: 10.1021/es801642z 5. NEW STAFF AND NOW HIRING – DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL USER SUPPORT Jamie Van Cleemput, Biological Safety Coordinator – Jamie has a Master’s of Science Degree from the University of Saskatchewan. She obtained a foundation in biological safety as a Research Associate for a local pharmaceutical company, focusing on quality control and writing SOP’s in a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) environment. Karla Hopp, Special Advisor for Biomedical Research – Karla is a professional engineer with research experience using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and synchrotron technology while working on her Master’s degree in physics. In collaboration with the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, Karla’s primary focus will be to raise awareness of local clinicians and researchers of opportunities at BMIT and to integrate the national research community into the BMIT user programs. We are currently accepting applications for the following positions:
For the full position descriptions please go to http://www.lightsource.ca/careers 6. HAPPY HOLIDAYS From all of us at CLS, our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful 2009. =============================================== Last modified: 2009-02-03 15:02:58 |
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