Various Attempts to Reduce the Dimensions of Magnetic Electron Lenses Used for High Voltage Microscopes

Magnetic fields are used in electron microscopy for a variety of purposes: image formation, energy analysis and correction of astigmatism, for example. We are interested in the problems of designing short focal length lenses to be used for focusing high energy electrons in the energy range 1-3 MeV. These lenses are generally very large and we have tried to reduce their dimensions to simplify their construction and use. From this point of view, it is necessary to diminish the magnetic coil and the magnetic circuit iron. Several solutions have been proposed in the case of the coil. We have obtained good results with superconducting coils. The reduction of the magnetic circuit is more difficult when we try to use a smaller volume of iron; we find that for high values of magnetizing current iron saturation appears. And we can observe a deterioration of the electron optical characteristics. These problems can be solved by using a special magnetic circuit composed of elements of anisotropic magnetic material. These new types of lenses will be in valuable if we need to focus electrons with energies greater than 3 MeV and could lead to considerable simplification of the mechanical design of all high voltage instruments

Monte Carlo Calculations on the Spatial and Angular Distributions of High Energy Electron Beams in Amorphous and Polycrystalline Films

We study the plural scattering of electrons in amorphous and polycrystalline films. The incident electron energy ranges from 0.1 to 3 MeV. The cross sections are obtained by measuring the transmission coefficient for targets of gold, silver, aluminium and carbon. The partial elastic cross section is calculated from Lenz\u27s theory using a Wentzel-Yukawa model for the atomic potential of the scattering atom. In the case of inelastic interactions, we take into account either scattering by a free atom (Morse\u27s approximation) or scattering by plasmon creation (relativistic theory of Ashley Ritchie). From these results, we solve the problem of electron transport in thin films with the aid of a Monte Carlo method. We use a single scattering model: each electron trajectory is followed through a succession of distinct scattering events in the target. For each scattering event, the direction and, if necessary, the electron energy are modified. We obtain the angular distributions of the transmitted electrons and the broadening of the electron beams in the specimen. This study sheds light on the amplitude contrast of electron microscope images

Extreme 54Cr-rich nano-oxides in the CI chondrite Orgueil -Implication for a late supernova injection into the Solar System

Systematic variations in 54Cr/52Cr ratios between meteorite classes (Qin et al., 2010a; Trinquier et al., 2007) point to large scale spatial and/or temporal isotopic heterogeneity in the solar protoplanetary disk. Two explanations for these variations have been proposed, with important implications for the formation of the Solar System: heterogeneous seeding of the disk with dust from a supernova, or energetic-particle irradiation of dust in the disk. The key to differentiating between them is identification of the carrier(s) of the 54Cr anomalies. Here we report the results of our recent NanoSIMS imaging search for the 54Cr-rich carrier in the acid-resistant residue of the CI chondrite Orgueil. A total of 10 regions with extreme 54Cr-excesses ({\delta}54Cr values up to 1500 %) were found. Comparison between SEM, Auger and NanoSIMS analyses showed that these 54Cr-rich regions are associated with one or more sub-micron (typically less than 200 nm) Cr oxide grains, most likely spinels. Because the size of the NanoSIMS primary O- ion beam is larger than the typical grain size on the sample mount, the measured anomalies are lower limits, and we estimate that the actual 54Cr enrichments in three grains are at least 11 times Solar and in one of these may be as high as 50 times Solar. Such compositions strongly favor a Type II supernova origin. The variability in bulk 54Cr/52Cr between meteorite classes argues for a heterogeneous distribution of the 54Cr carrier in the solar protoplanetary disk following a late supernova injection event. Such a scenario is also supported by the O-isotopic distribution and variable abundances in different planetary materials of other presolar oxide and silicate grains from supernovae

Nucleosynthetic molybdenum isotope anomalies in iron meteorites – new evidence for thermal processing of solar nebula material

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Nucleosynthetic molybdenum isotope anomalies in iron meteorites – new evidence for thermal processing of solar nebula material journaltitle: Earth and Planetary Science Letters articlelink: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.05.001 content_type: article copyright: © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.05.001

Mass dependent fractionation of stable chromium isotopes in mare basalts: implications for the formation and differentiation of the Moon

We present the first stable chromium isotopic data from mare basalts in order to investigate the similarity between the Moon and the Earth’s mantle. A double spike technique coupled with MC-ICP-MS measurements was used to analyse 19 mare basalts, comprising high-Ti, low-Ti and KREEP-rich varieties. Chromium isotope ratios (δ53Cr) for mare basalts are positively correlated with indices of magmatic differentiation such as Mg# and Cr concentration which suggests that Cr isotopes were fractionated during magmatic differentiation. Modelling of the results provides evidence that spinel and pyroxene are the main phases controlling the Cr isotopic composition during fractional crystallisation. The most evolved samples have the lightest isotopic compositions, complemented by cumulates that are isotopically heavy. Two hypotheses are proposed to explain this fractionation: (i) equilibrium fractionation where heavy isotopes are preferentially incorporated into the spinel lattice and (ii) a difference in isotopic composition between Cr2+ and Cr3+ in the melt. However, both processes require magmatic temperatures below 1200 °C for appreciable Cr3+ to be present at the low oxygen fugacities found in the Moon (IW −1 to −2 log units). There is no isotopic difference between the most primitive high-Ti, low-Ti and KREEP basalts, which suggest that the sources of these basalts were homogeneous in terms of stable Cr isotopes. The least differentiated sample in our sample set is the low-Ti basalt 12016, characterised by a Cr isotopic composition of −0.222 ± 0.025‰, which is within error of the current BSE value (−0.124 ± 0.101‰). The similarity between the mantles of the Moon and Earth is consistent with a terrestrial origin for a major fraction of the lunar Cr. This similarity also suggests that Cr isotopes were not fractionated by core formation on the Moon

A Target-Based High Throughput Screen Yields Trypanosoma brucei Hexokinase Small Molecule Inhibitors with Antiparasitic Activity

African sleeping sickness is a disease found in sub-Saharan Africa that is caused by the single-celled parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The drugs used widely now to treat infections are 50 years old and notable for their toxicity, emphasizing the need for development of new therapeutics. In the search for potential drug targets, researchers typically focus on enzymes or proteins that are essential to the survival of the infectious agent while being distinct enough from the host to avoid accidental targeting of the host enzyme. This work describes our research on one such trypanosome enzyme, hexokinase, which is a protein that the parasite requires to make energy. Here we describe the results of our search for inhibitors of the parasite enzyme. By screening 220,223 compounds for anti-hexokinase activity, we have identified new inhibitors of the parasite enzyme. Some of these are toxic to trypanosomes while having no effect on mammalian cells, suggesting that they may hold promise for the development of new anti-parasitic compounds

Cryo-EM structure of lysenin pore elucidates membrane insertion by an aerolysin family protein

Lysenin from the coelomic fluid of the earthworm Eisenia fetida belongs to the aerolysin family of small β-pore-forming toxins (β-PFTs), some members of which are pathogenic to humans and animals. Despite efforts, a high-resolution structure of a channel for this family of proteins has been elusive and therefore the mechanism of activation and membrane insertion remains unclear. Here we determine the pore structure of lysenin by single particle cryo-EM, to 3.1 Å resolution. The nonameric assembly reveals a long β-barrel channel spanning the length of the complex that, unexpectedly, includes the two pre-insertion strands flanking the hypothetical membrane-insertion loop. Examination of other members of the aerolysin family reveals high structural preservation in this region, indicating that the membrane-insertion pathway in this family is conserved. For some toxins, proteolytic activation and pro-peptide removal will facilitate unfolding of the pre-insertion strands, allowing them to form the β-barrel of the channel