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| Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer 2005 | |||
| In this issue | ||||
 | A word from our president | I
left academics and joined the commercial world in 1984. At
first I found it difficult to focus on what was most important for
customers rather than what was scientifically interesting to
me. But eventually I realized that taking care of customers is
the most important aspect of a successful business and, luckily, I
was able to refocus my energies. I wouldn't say this was a
smooth personal transition, as I felt like I was dragged kicking and
screaming into a new mindset.
One customer stands out in my mind as being particularly influential in helping me make the commercial transition. Dr. John Rose (formerly of the University of Pittsburgh and now a professor at the University of Georgia) was an early customer of Rigaku single crystal products in North America. He would not accept mediocrity from a vendor and he aggressively voiced his opinions on ways to improve products and services. He bought from all vendors, carefully considering the pros and cons of technology and performance and he expected everyone to deliver what they promised. I must admit that in the beginning I didn't want to talk to this guy. I felt like he was always complaining and that disturbed my sense of well being. Then I had an epiphany: If we listen carefully to this customer and implement the things he suggests, then, just perhaps we will become a stronger company and serve all of our customers better. I wish to now publicly thank John and, for that matter, all of our customers who have helped our company grow and mature. Paul N. Swepston | ||
| | The Rigaku Journal | |||
| | Featured conference: IUCr 2005 | |||
| | ActiveSight adds new target, signs second Lexicon agreement | |||
| | 2005 Training sessions | |||
| | Diamond Light Source orders 3 ACTOR™ robots | |||
| | SAXS with Ultima III | |||
| | Customer testimonial: Rigaku MiniFlex™ | |||
| | Rigaku/EIT news | |||
| | Conference review: ACA 2005 | |||
| | Safety first | |||
| | Installation of HiFlux HomeLab at Sareum Holdings | |||
| | Rigaku Fun Run winners | |||
| Visit us on the web at www.rigaku.com | ||||
| Featured conference: IUCr 2005 | ||||
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Volume 22, #1; May 2005
Applications of X-ray Powder Diffraction in the Pharmaceutical Industry by Gregory A. Stephenson Analyzing Microstructure by Rietveld Refinement by Davor Balzar and Nicolae C. Popa High Productivity Crystallography Using High-brilliance Rotating Anodes by Alexandra M. Z. Slawin and J. Derek Woollins Size Distribution Analysis of Nanoparticles Using Small Angle X-ray Scattering Technique by Akito Sasaki |
Rigaku invites you to visit us during exhibition hours at the XX
Congress of the IUCr in Florence, Italy on August 23 - 27, 2005.
Our booth consists of stands 48-49-50-58-59-60, our sister company Osmic has stand 73,
and our subsidiary RoboDesign has stands 46-47-56-57.
Schedule a demo, get a free T-shirt! Please stop by to see the following display equipment. Our booth staff will be glad to show you around and talk about the latest systems available for your crystallographic research.
Please note the following presentations which involve members of the Rigaku family:
We will also be holding a luncheon and other activities. >>> Click here for More information | |||
| Calendar of events | ActiveSight adds new target, signs second Lexicon agreement | |||
Rigaku will be attending the following conferences in
summer 2005:
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Phophodiesterase 4 (PDE-4), a popular
target for asthma therapy, has been added to ActiveSight's Protein
Portfolio of co-crystallization-ready proteins. PDE-4 is the newest
addition to the "ready to go" collection which also
includes the kinase Aurora-A, the nuclear hormone receptor FXR, the
bacterial enzyme DNA Gyrase B, Hsp90 and
fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase.
In April, ActiveSight signed its second agreement with Lexicon Pharmaceuticals to expand their co-crystallography services to a second undisclosed target. ActiveSight's contract services are centered on lead optimization co-crystallography, and feature gene-to-structure capabilities. Inquiries are welcome: email info@rigaku.com or call Joy Silen at (858) 455-6870 x105. |
Ribbon diagram of human phosphodiesterase IV (PDE4) with the inhibitor rolipram bound. The structure was determined by Robin Rosenfeld, PhD at ActiveSight. | ||
| Diamond Light Source orders 3 ACTOR robots | ||||
Rigaku is pleased to announce the
following training sessions for 2005:
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Diamond Light Source Ltd. has ordered three ACTOR™
robots for delivery to three of their macromolecular crystallography
beamlines (I02, I03 & I04) currently under construction. This
sale further solidifies a trend toward using proven commercially
available robotics and instrumentation for leading-edge synchrotron
installations. The crystallography robots will be installed in 2006, in time for the facility/s opening to
scientific users in 2007. Dr. Liz Duke, Principal
Beamline Scientist for the Phase 1 Macromolecular Crystallography
Beamlines, commented in a recent press release that "Having a
robotic system for automated sample handling of frozen crystals will
greatly increase the efficiency of our macromolecular
crystallography beamlines ... high sample throughput is crucial,
particularly in the area of Structural Biology, as experimenters can
often get through hundreds of samples in a single day of beamtime at
a synchrotron facility such as Diamond."
>>> Click here for More information
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| Customer testimonial: Rigaku MiniFlex | ||||
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The Ultima III is the first X-ray diffraction
system to incorporate SAXS and WAXS in a θ:θ configuration. The
SAXS attachment provides nanoparticle or pore size distribution of solution,
solid, and thin film samples. It also provides more conventional SAXS
information, such as lamellar spacings in polymers.
SAXS does not require the extensive sample preparation of TEM, and greatly improves the particle sampling. The Ultima III can measure particle or pore size from 1 nm to 50 nm.
In this case, although the particle sampling is improved using SAXS, the results of the SAXS and TEM show good agreement. |
Dr. Joel Sparks, Laboratory Manager,
Department of Earth Sciences at Boston University reports:
"One area in which the Rigaku MiniFlex seems to be a hit is identifying very small amounts of (geo)material. When I put together the initial MiniFlex order I must have really guessed right when ordering the zero-background holder. It's really been the most scientifically useful holder so far. "Here's the latest and most demanding application: I was given two vials of "yellow" and "white" grains to identify, total amount somewhere around a half to two grains of table salt (probably < 1 mg - the samples are from Antarctica and we can't easily get more). I ran the *gently* crushed powders on a zero bg holder that has a 4 mm diam x 100 μ deep depression in the middle of a round holder. As you can see from the photos I didn't even have enough to fill the depression. The resulting diffractograms were easy to sort out (both were halite - common salt)! Amazing." |
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>>> Click here for more details | ||||
| Conference review: ACA 2005 | ||||
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The first Mercury 2 camera rolled off the EIT production line in an
unusual form in March.
This camera was built as a custom camera for the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to be used in electron diffraction, as far as we know the first time such a digital camera has been built. In fact the Professor who bought the camera had been looking for someone with the unique capabilities required for this camera for some time, without success until speaking with EIT, and was beginning to worry he would lose his grant money for the lack of somewhere to spend it! EIT's skill in the production of high performance digital cameras, knowledge in the optical field, the handling and coating of fiber optic windows and tapers and experience with building vacuum-compatible cameras were the exact combination required to make the project a success. This camera was also "special" in another way - it got it's own name! As the first of the line, the camera is affectionately known as "Ed". |
A
variety of important new Rigaku products were introduced at the 55th
annual American Crystallographic Association meeting at Walt Disney World.
In addition to showcasing core products for macromolecular and small
molecule crystallography, the venue saw the debut of the Proteros Free
Mounting System, two new high performance CCD detectors, and a new
liquid handling system for setting up crystallization screens.
The Free Mounting System (FMS), developed by Proteros Biostructures GmbH, is an integrated solution for optimization of protein crystals used in the collection of X-ray crystallographic data. Representing a significant advance, the FMS can dramatically improve the quality of X-ray crystallographic data obtained for macromolecular structure determination. Traditionally, protein crystals were improved by changing salt, PEG/buffer concentration, or manual dehydration. FMS turns this art into a science by providing a system for reproducible crystal optimization. Benefits include resolution, mosaicity, and anisotropy optimization, improved cryo-protocols, as well as reduced X-ray background. This new approach offers substantial benefits for both the synchrotron and home lab environment. The new Rigaku Mercury 2 is part of the next generation of outstanding products to be launched by the wholly owned detector division of Rigaku: Electronic Imaging Technologies. Incorporating the Kodak® advanced front illuminated KAF-1001E CCD chip, the Mercury 2 camera offers a high-speed 1 MHz readout while providing benefits made possible by the use of BluePlus™ indium-tin-oxide (ITO) technology. The Mercury 2 combines a medium format CCD, with a choice of a 70 x 70 mm square or 75 mm diameter round active area, to provide a detector specifically optimized for the sensitivity and spatial resolution needs of the small molecule crystallographer. Superior cooling reliability is accomplished using an internal thermoelectric (Peltier) cooler coupled with room temperature circulated water. Fiber optic cables provide external communications and data transfer. Thus, with outstanding readout speed, stability, ease of cooling and vacuum lifetime, the Mercury 2 provides unparalleled performance in a cost effective package. Replacing the highly acclaimed Saturn 92, the new Rigaku Saturn 944 is the first of many outstanding products to be launched by the wholly owned detector division of Rigaku: Electronic Imaging Technologies. Incorporating the newest and most advanced Kodak CCD chip, the Saturn 944 brings a new dimension to data collection with a fourfold increase in readout speed while providing benefits made possible by Blue Plus indium-tin-oxide (ITO) technology. The Saturn 944 combines a large format CCD, with a demagnification taper ratio of 1.88:1, to provide a detector specifically optimized for the high sensitivity and spatial resolution needs of the macromolecular crystallographer. The unit incorporates a 135 mm diameter fiberoptic taper bonded to a front-illuminated Kodak KAF-4320E CCD. The process of making up crystallization screens is complex, time consuming, and inefficient. Traditional methods of liquid handling are inherently limited by potential issues of cross-contamination and dispensing accuracy. RoboDesign, the newest division of Rigaku, has developed the Alchemist™ screen making system to address these issues. The system revolutionizes liquid handling with its patent pending Bird-Feeder technology. By not employing tubing, pumps, or system liquid, this novel approach eliminates cross contamination issues while providing dramatically increased reliability. The design also simplifies setup and allows for rapid yet accurate dispensing of many chemicals with varying physical properties.
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| Installation of HiFlux HomeLab™ at Sareum Holdings | ||||
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Rigaku's safety committee is in the process of
developing a knowledge database containing information that should be of use to
our customers. This web resource will contain a safety FAQ, MSDS
(material safety data sheets) for components and substances used with our
equipment, state-by-state Government Compliance regulations and instrument
registration forms, general radiation
safety information and other documents.
>>> Click here for More information |
 May saw the announcement that the first
UK installation of Rigaku/s new HiFlux HomeLab was completed
at Sareum Holdings plc. Based on the latest generation micro-focus
X-ray diffractometers, this equipment enables Sareum to significantly
increase the quality and throughput of the protein structure
determination capability of its unique drug discovery platform by
providing full-time access to the state-of-the-art in laboratory X-ray
diffraction. Commenting on the announcement, Sareum/s Chief
Executive Officer, Dr Tim Mitchell, said: "We are extremely excited
to have the first UK installation of this new standard in X-ray
technology. This major extension of our capabilities in protein
structure determination will greatly benefit both our customers and
our internal research."
>>> Click here for More information
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| Windows Update Conflict | Rigaku Fun Run winners | |||
| Problem:
Automatic Windows Update Terminating a Data Collection in Windows XP SP2 The default setting is to download and install automatically at 3:00AM. If an update requires a PC reboot (as is usually the case), Windows will pop up a dialog telling you that it is going to reboot in 5 minutes. If no one intervenes, the machine will reboot automatically, killing data collection, and possibly corrupting one or more files on disk. Solution: If you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2, adjust the security
setting so that the updates are downloaded,
but not installed immediately. Click on Manage Security Settings for Automatic Updates at the bottom of the dialog. This will bring up another dialog. Select the Download update for me, but let me choose when to install them option (just below the Automatic option). Windows will download the updates, and then periodically display a balloon advising that you have updates to install. |
The course journeyed around the conference hotel grounds, through the Disney property and around the lake under hot and muggy conditions. Participants were greeted with cool drinks upon completion.
This years' winners were David Goetz (UCSF) and Rebecca Page (Brown University) >>> Click here to see a fun run slide show
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| 9009 New Trails Drive The Woodlands Texas USA 77381-5209 e-mail: info@rigaku.com Tel: (281) 363-1033 FAX: (281) 364-3628 | Unit B6, Chaucer Business Park Watery Lane, Kemsing Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 6QY, England e-mail: info@rigaku.com Tel: [44] 1732 763 367 FAX: [44] 1732 763 757 | |||
The
20th annual Rigaku Fun Run/Walk was held this year in conjunction
with the ACA in Orlando. Upon completion, participants were awarded a Rigaku t-shirt, which
has
become a collector's item over the years. Many participants proudly wore shirts from previous runs.