[phenixbb] General User Proposal Deadline for PX/SAXS at the ALS: August 15, 2009

[Peter Zwart]

Dear All,

August 15, 2009 is the deadline for the October - December 2009 Rapid
Access Proposal cycle. (!!!!Please note that the ALS will be shut down
in September, 2009.!!!!)

Remote data collection is available on all beamlines at the Berkeley
Center for Structural Biology (BCSB). The NX remote desktop technology
provides the remote user with the full complement of sample
visualization, sample manipulation, beamline control, data acquisition
and data analysis tools exactly as they would see them if they were
stationed at the beamline. This enhanced remote operation capability
is coupled with 24hr onsite support by BCSB staff who are able to
assist immediately with loading additional samples for remote users or
troubleshoot any issues that might arise.

Beamlines 8.2.1 and 8.2.2:

Both beamlines are now fully remote capable, which means that users
are able control sample mounting, data collection and analysis from
their home labs. This has dramatically increased the efficiency of
data collection and significantly reduced the cost of protein
crystallography experiments, since users no longer have to travel to
the synchrotron.

To facilitate studies on small crystals, a microdiffractometer was
installed in the beamline 8.2.1 endstation. The new equipment allows
precise sample positioning to within 2 microns, excellent sample
viewing of very small crystals, and an off-axis crystal positioning
stage. As part of the beamline optics upgrades, a new toroidal
focusing mirror was purchased and installed in beamline 8.2.1; new
parabolic mirrors are currently being polished. When completed, the
new optics will increase the brightness of beamline 8.2.1 by a factor
of 4 to 5 and decrease the spot size to 30 microns, greatly
facilitating structure solution on large macromolecular complexes.

Beamlines 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.0.3:  On Sector 5, improvements to the
existing Berkeley Automounter sample handling system have dramatically
improved both total capacity and reliability.

Upgrades to the 5.0.1 and 5.0.3 monochromators have been completed.
The operational energy of both beamlines has been increased, taking
them above the Se K-edge and thus introducing a significant new Se SAD
capability for experiments on Se derivatized proteins. The new
monochromators also provide significantly better beam focus and
performance under the increased power loads of ALS topoff operation.
These improvements have been coupled with the introduction of enhanced
positional feedback, diagnostic tools, and auto-alignment systems for
the beamline components to improve the overall stability and quality
of the beam delivered to users.

Another mode of access to the BCSB beamlines is through the
Collaborative Crystallography (CC) Program. Users apply for beamtime
via the general user program, and collaborate with an expert
crystallographer who will conduct the experiments and data reduction
on behalf of the researchers. Depending on the users, structure
solution, model building and refinement can be carried out as well.

Please visit http://bcsb.lbl.gov/ for more details about the Center
and its beamlines.

To find out more, click on:
http://www.als.lbl.gov/als/quickguide/independinvest.html
Scroll down to "Structural Biology/Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS)."

We invite you to submit a proposal at:
http://alsusweb.lbl.gov/4DCGI/WEB_GetForm/PXProposalEntry.shtml/Initialize

If you'd like to apply for January-February 2010 beamtime at the
Advanced Light Source, please submit a General User proposal by
November 15, 2009.

If you have any questions or would like to request open beamtime,
please e-mail BCSBBeamtime at lbl.gov.

Please note that executed user agreements must be received by LBNL
prior to beamtime. Proprietary fees, if applicable, must be received
by LBNL at least five working days prior to scheduled beamtime.





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P.H. Zwart
Beamline Scientist
Berkeley Center for Structural Biology
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories
1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA-94703, USA
Cell: 510 289 9246
BCSB:     http://bcsb.als.lbl.gov
PHENIX: http://www.phenix-online.org
CCTBX:  http://cctbx.sf.net
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