Upgraded D22 SEC-SANS setup dedicated to the biology community.

Described here is the current status of the upgraded size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) system implemented with the D22 small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument at the Institut Laue-Langevin. Since its initial proof of principle in 2016, this SEC-SANS arrangement has been continuously requested by the user community, leading to the design of an upgraded version. A detailed description of the setup and its control is provided, and a few examples of protein structural investigations are presented, which will highlight the various possibilities and limitations of the setup to optimize experimental success.

A novel experimental approach for nanostructure analysis: simultaneous small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering.

Exploiting small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS) on the same sample volume at the same time provides complementary nanoscale structural information in two different contrast situations. Unlike an independent experimental approach, the truly combined SAXS/SANS experimental approach ensures the exactness of the probed samples, particularly for studies. Here, an advanced portable SAXS system that is dimensionally suitable for installation in the D22 zone of ILL is introduced.

SEC-SANS: size exclusion chromatography combined with small-angle neutron scattering.

The first implementation and use of an size exclusion chromatography (SEC) system on a small-angle neutron scattering instrument (SANS) is described. The possibility of deploying such a system for biological solution scattering at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) has arisen from the fact that current day SANS instruments at ILL now allow datasets to be acquired using small sample volumes with exposure times that are often shorter than a minute. This capability is of particular importance for the study of unstable biological macromolecules where aggregation or denaturation issues are a major problem.

Aquaculture: Environmental, toxicological, and health issues.

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food-producing sectors, supplying approximately 40% of the world's fish food. Besides such benefit to the society, the industry does have its problems. There are occupational hazards and safety concerns in the aquaculture industry.