Canadian Light Source Inc. / Centre canadien de rayonnement synchrotron

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As the climate warms and arctic permafrost thaws, some of the toxic elements locked away in it are starting to emerge and could contaminate the water supplies that many northern communities rely on. Elliott Skierszkan, a geologist at Carleton University / Carleton University Earth Sciences, and his colleagues recently measured the concentrations of naturally occurring uranium and arsenic in water released from permafrost samples collected in the Yukon. “Our samples had levels of uranium and arsenic in the water beyond what would be considered safe,” he says. The work was published in two papers, in Environmental Science and Technology, and ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. Using the CLS, Skierszkan also probed the chemical composition of the elements in the solid portion of the permafrost. They found that uranium was largely associated with organic carbon in the soil, while arsenic was associated with iron oxides. “The synchrotron was essential to understanding the chemistry of these elements and their potential to be mobilized,” says Skierszkan. The results showed that the fate of both elements was linked to organic carbon. As the permafrost thaws, the organic matter it contains breaks down, which can release associated uranium. This decaying organic matter can also cause the iron oxides and the arsenic associated with them to dissolve into the water. Skierszkan says these findings “show the increased need to monitor these processes,” to keep an eye on water quality. More than 90% of the population in the Yukon relies on groundwater, and while people don’t currently drink water from the study sites, it will be important to monitor water quality in populated areas where permafrost is at risk of thawing. There are also implications for mineral exploration – the changing baseline of water quality needs to be considered in the waste remediation plans for mines, and mine locations should be selected to minimize disruptions to permafrost. “There’s a big shift happening with water chemistry in the North, and that has implications for ecosystem health,” says Skierszkan. “How that plays out in the coming years we don’t know, but we can anticipate there’s going to be some change.” https://bit.ly/3UtCe1u #environment #climatechange #permafrost #yukon

This is a cryostream. It produces a stream of nitrogen gas that can cool samples to -193 C or heat samples to +226 C. We use them on some of our beamlines, including BXDS, BioXAS, and CMCF. #AroundTheCLS

We have two modulators (pictured) that provide radiofrequency waves to our linear accelerator (linac). These waves speed up a beam of electrons to nearly the speed of light, which allows us to make synchrotron light for research. Typically, one modulator powers the first half of our linac and the second modulator powers the latter half. However, our new modulators can be configured to power the linac differently. It is possible with our #newlinac for one modulator to power the entire linac (at a reduced electron beam energy) or for the modulators to switch which part of the linac they are powering. This offers greater flexibility and reliability for our synchrotron as it allows for maintenance to be completed on one modulator while the other continues to run and power our new linac. Our team is currently preparing the modulators to run in this configuration. Learn more about the #newlinac project: https://lnkd.in/d344yvnm

The deadline is approaching to submit to "In Focus: Celebrating 20 Years of a Full Spectrum of Chemistry at the Canadian Light Source." Learn more about this special issue in the Canadian Journal of Chemistry: https://ow.ly/eWVf50SNnMG 📅 DEADLINE NOVEMBER 30, 2024. Canadian Light Source Inc. / Centre canadien de rayonnement synchrotron

"More than a thousand academic, government and industry scientists from around the world use the Canadian Light Source on the USask campus every year in their research, and one of the recent projects deals with improving how to best remove selenium contamination in the water from mines." | Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gSfsR7HY

#OnTheBeamlines: International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD)®, which curates a database of reference powder diffraction patterns of materials and pharmaceutical compounds, has teamed up with Dr. Jim Kaduk (Illinois Institute of Technology) to identify and solve more than 130 new pharmaceutical crystal structures using synchrotron light. The goal is to improve the quality of reference data available for research and development in various industries. The ICDD team, led by Dr. Anja Dosen, has collected data recently at our Brockhouse Beamline to solve and publish the unknown crystallographic structures of drug compounds in the Powder Diffraction File™ (PDF®) database and Powder Diffraction Journal. This project helps scientists, including in pharmaceuticals and forensics, identify active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in products and detect counterfeits. Pharmaceutical companies will be able to use the findings to analyze their formulations and advance drug discovery efforts. Photo courtesy: Dr. Anja Dosen. #health #synchrotron #science #research

#OnTheBeamlines: Our body’s immune system uses several components, including B cells, to guard against infections caused by bacteria, parasites or viruses. The success of vaccines in preventing infections depends on proteins produced by B cells called antibodies. B cells also help to control the immune system; when they do not function properly, the immune system becomes unbalanced, resulting in devastating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia. Researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children used our CMCF-ID beamline to better understand the structure and function of molecules produced by B cells. Jean-Philippe Julien says what his team learns could serve as a blueprint for designing next-generation therapies that prevent HIV-1, COVID-19, and malaria, and therapeutic antibodies that will treat autoimmune diseases and cancer. “This work will help pioneer better vaccines and therapeutics for Canadian children and adults.” #Vaccines #Health #AutoimmuneDisease Image: Members of the Julien Lab, from left to right, Jean-Philippe Julien, Tony Semesi, Danton Ivanochko, and Sophia Hailemariam.

"University of Saskatchewan synchrotron fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria" | Read the story by Global News: https://lnkd.in/dc_nnFvX

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Annual Users' Meeting this week! We had over 300 registrants, nearly 100 attendees in Waterloo, more than 50 poster submissions, and 32 speakers across the three-day program. 🎉 Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology University of Waterloo University of Waterloo Faculty of Science KA Imaging Inc.