Terapascal static pressure generation is enabled in laboratory due to implementation of nanocrystralline diamond microballs.

The present work demonstrates the potential applicability of additive manufacturing to X-Ray refractive nano-lenses. A compound refractive lens with a radius of 5 µm was produced by the two-photon polymerization induced lithography. It was successfully tested at the X-ray microfocus laboratory source and a focal spot of 5 μm was measured. An amorphous nature of polymer material combined with the potential of additive technologies may result in a significantly enhanced focusing performance compared to the best examples of modern X-ray compound refractive lenses.

Cyt1Aa is the one of four crystalline protoxins produced by mosquitocidal bacteriumBacillus thuringiensis israelensis(Bti) that has been shown to delay the evolution of insect resistance in the field. Limiting our understanding ofBtiefficacy and the path to improved toxicity and spectrum has been ignorance of how Cyt1Aa crystallizes in vivo and of its mechanism of toxicity. Here, we use serial femtosecond crystallography to determine the Cyt1Aa protoxin structure from sub-micron-sized crystals produced inBti. Structures determined under various pH/redox conditions illuminate the role played by previously uncharacterized disulfide-bridge and domain-swapped interfaces from crystal formation inBtito dissolution in the larval mosquito midgut. Biochemical, toxicological and biophysical methods enable the deconvolution of key steps in the Cyt1Aa bioactivation cascade. We additionally show that the size, shape, production yield, pH sensitivity and toxicity of Cyt1Aa crystals grown inBtican be controlled by single atom substitution.

We introduce a microprobe technique based on the x-ray standing wave method (XSW) demonstrating that structural analysis can be achieved with chemical sensitivity on a microscopic scale. We apply this XSW microscopy technique to study an epitaxially grown ${\mathrm{GaAs/Al}}_{\text{0.1}}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{\text{0.9}}\mathrm{As/GaAs}\text{(001)}$ heterostructure in cross section. We focus the x-ray beam by a refractive lens onto the cleaved sample and analyze the constituent elements within the 4 μm thick ${\mathrm{Al}}_{\text{0.1}}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{\text{0.9}}\mathrm{As}$ layer resolving the substitutional location of Al. The new micro-XSW technique will permit microscopic examinations of the structure of integrated semiconductor devices or microscopic crystalline grains with chemical sensitivity and structural resolution on the pm scale.