LS-CAT

Weekly Screening Clinics

On Wednesdays throughout the run LS-CAT will perform mail-in screening clinics on one of our insertion device beamlines. Detailed instructions on how to use the remote access/mail-in interface should be available later.

Guidelines

1. Use the correct caps, vials, and pins. We will be using the robotic sample changer. Caps noted as being "BAD" here are not appropriate. Samples shipped in canes will be placed into SPINE baskets and must be in Molecular Dimensions SPINE vials.
2. Check your pin length. Our equipment will be set up for 18mm pins (22mm overall length). We recommend also using the first position in the magazine/basket/cane to store an empty loop with the same length pin as the rest of your samples. Please do not mix pin lengths in a shipment as doing so will most certainly result in the destruction of some of your crystals since a pin that is too short or too long will put the crystal outside of the cryostream.
3. We accept Rigaku ACTOR magazines, SPINE Baskets, canes with samples in Molecular Dimensions SPINE vials.
4. Fill out an ESAF. For the maximum flexibility we'll specify that the experiment can take place on any of our operating beamlines at any time from Wednesday to the following Tuesday.
   1. Under the "Experimenters" tab mark users as "Mail-in" if participating in screening only. Mark users "Remote" if remote access is anticipated. To participate in both screening and remote access, chose "Remote". NOTE: users marked "Remote" must successfully complete ANL cyber security training.
   2. Under the "Description" tab select the following:
      1. Beamline: check ID
      2. Station: check D, F, and G
      3. Start Date: the coming Wednesday
      4. Start Time: 8AM
      5. End Date: the Tuesday after the start date. (yes, the ESAF will be valid for almost one week)
      6. End Time: 8AM
      7. Short Description: "Mail-in screening only", "Remote Access only", or "Mail-in screening followed by Remote Access"
   3. Under the "Materials" tab, use exactly the same name for each type of crystal that you use on the LS-CAT crystal identification sheet.
5. Set your LS-CAT Remote Access password and user name. Note that we use the same interface for mail-in screening and remote access users. If you haven't used LS-CAT recently then you'll need to wait for us to approve your ESAF before trying to obtain a password or setting your username.
6. Load you magazines, baskets, or canes. Place an empty loop in the fist position of the first magazine, puck, or cane so that we can double check that your pin length is correct before mounting a real crystal. We'll need to know which crystal is where (and so will you). Here is a PDF form you can use until our electronic version is ready.

   Be careful when you load your samples:

   1. Rigaku ACTOR Magazines: Make sure each pin is pointed straight up. The most common problem is that cap is not seated correctly in the magazine. This will crash the robot and end your remote access session.
   2. SPINE Baskets: The caps should be visible since the metal end on the vial goes down into the basket. Ship all five SPINE Baskets plus the Styrofoam spacer even if only one of the baskets has samples.
   3. Canes: Use a sleeve to ensure your samples arrive intact. Without the sleeve the samples will fall off of the cane and most likely be lost. Package sorting facilities are really quite rough.
7. Your "Host" will be the staff contact for the screening clinics and associated remote access time. Ship your dewars to arrive by 10 AM on Wednesday to

   Staff Contact (Phone #, email address) LS-CAT, Building 436A 9700 South Cass Avenue Lemont, IL 60439

   Submit your ESAF before shipping your dewars.

Disclaimer

The screening clinics and remote access services are provided on a best-efforts basis. All risks associated with sample handling are assumed by the remote experimenters, not by the LS-CAT staff.