BioXAS Spectroscopy User Guide

Welcome! The BioXAS user guide is your resource for before, during and after your beam time at the Canadian Light Source (CLS)!

If you're new here, you may want to start on the pages which contain information about the capabilities of the beamlines BioXAS-Main and BioXAS-Side.

The User Guide walks you through all steps of your BioXAS experience from preparing a proposal to the data analysis and publication.

Before you begin, determine if BioXAS meets the requirements of your experiments. Check out the specifications (BioXAS-Main and BioXAS-Side) and contact beamline staff to discuss your specific experimental requirements.

A check list of considerations

• Does the beamline cover the energy range of interest? See Technical Specifications page
• Does the beamline support the sample environment needed?
• Can you prepare your sample for Transmission or Florescence measurements?
• Are you interested in XANES or EXAFS measurements?

There are several routes to becoming a user to access beam time.

To apply for beam time please visit mechanisms for beam time and applying for beam time pages.

Beam time can be accessed by

• Peer-Reviewed Proposal Call - twice a year (January and July)
• Paid Mail-in access for academic and industry
• Rapid Access
• Industrial Access-in access for industry

Generally for general user proposals ( Peer-Reviewed), the timeline is as follows

1. Proposal Submission
2. Respond to reviewers
3. Submit beamtime request
4. Prepare for beamtime ( Experiment Time Planning, Experiment Log Book, Experiment_Workflow)

Please see how to become a user and submit a proposal for more details

Timeline for Proposal, after submission

Once granted a proposal that is active with dates scheduled. You are ready to prepare for beamtime at CLS! Prepare a workplan and prioritize sample list. Find and book accommodations. Uber and Ride app can be used for transportation to CLS. The CLS also has kitchenettes for food storage.

Shipping to the Canadian Light Source

• Ship one week before your scheduled experimental collection time
• Users are responsible for the cost of transportation and customs clearance for shipments; C.O.D. packages will not be accepted
• All packages must be addressed to a permanent staff member of the CLS, preferable to the beamline scientist or associate scientist you have been working with. See Mail-in Sample List and Information Form- Cycle 39.docx for details
• To expedite outgoing shipments, you can make round-trip shipping arrangements from your home institution. Please advise Shipping & Receiving if you have made these arrangements
• Ensure that you address all packages to the BioXAS spectroscopy beamline staff
• There are no deliveries on weekends (Saturdays or Sundays) or Hoildays. Shipment should be made at least one week prior to beamtime. Additional care should be considered since delays may occur due to Canada custom inspections

Shipping within Canada

• Users are responsible for costs of shipping to the CLS. "COD" shipments are not accepted. Address packages as in the following example:

CANADIAN LIGHT SOURCE
ATTN: ZACHARY ARTHUR / SGM
44 INNOVATION BOULEVARD
SASKATOON SK S7N 2V3
CANADA

CLSI Shipping and Receiving

Phone: 1-306-657-3657
Fax: 1-306-657-3533

Shipping from the United States

For shipping to and from the United States, the information for shipping within Canada applies. In addition, you will need to use one of the following options for brokering your shipment through Canada Customs

Option 1: (Recommended) Use CLSI customs broker, Thompson Ahern International

Users will be invoiced for applicable customs clearance charges (typically less than $25 CAD, plus GST). Indicate to the courier company that Thompson, Ahern & Co. will broker the shipment. Include three copies of the following paperwork with your shipment and forward a copy to shipping and receiving and the broker along with the courier tracking number.

Commercial Invoice (USA) - example - adjust relevant fields including:

• • 1. Vendor (shipper) name & address
  • 2. Date of shipment
  • 8. Transportation information
  • 11. & 13. Quantity (estimated number of samples is acceptable)
  • 16. Weight
  • 20. Originator name & address
  • other fields as needed for your particular shipment
• USMCA/CUSMA Certificate of Origin
  • To avoid excess customs fees, packages from the USA with goods originating in the USA should include this.

Option 2 : Use courier as broker.

You may have the courier broker your shipment through customs. Include three copies of the following paperwork with your shipment:

• One Time Agency Agreement (available from shipping company).
  • Be sure to contact the shipping company for advice on filling out their forms to avoid delays.
• Commercial Invoice
• USMCA/CUSMA Certificate of Origin

To avoid excess customs fees, packages from the USA with goods originating in the USA should include this.

Contact CLSI Shipping and Receiving one week prior to the arrival of your samples from an international location to inform them of the shipment. They may be able to deal with issues arising at Canada Customs. They can also advise you regarding details of filling out the required documentation and current regulations. It is the responsibility of the CLS User to keep track of the status of shipments.

Shipping from the European Union (EU)

For shipping to and from the European Union, the information for shipping within Canada applies. In addition, you will need to use one of the following options for brokering your shipment through Canada Customs

Option 1: Use CLSI Customer Broker ,Thompson Ahern International

Users will be invoiced for applicable customs clearance charges (typically less than $25 CAD, plus GST). Indicate to the courier company that Thompson, Ahern & Co. will broker the shipment. Include three copies of the following paperwork with your shipment and forward a copy to shipping and receiving along with the courier tracking number.

Commercial Invoice ( EU)Commercial_Invoice_EU.pdf- example - adjust relevant fields including:

1. Vendor (shipper) name & address
2. Date of shipment
3. Origin of shipment
4. Transportation information
5. & 13. Quantity (estimated number of samples is acceptable)
6. Weight 20. Originator name & address
7. other fields as needed for your particular shipment

Option 2: Use courier as broker.
You may have the courier broker your shipment through customs. Include three copies of the following paperwork with your shipment:

• One Time Agency Agreement (available from shipping company).
  • Be sure to contact the shipping company for advice on filling out their form to avoid delays.
• Commercial Invoice

Contact the CLSI Shipping and Receiving one week prior to the arrival of your samples from an international location to inform them of the shipment. They may be able to deal with issues arising at Canada Customs. They can also advise you regarding details of filling out the required documentation and current regulations. It is the responsibility of the CLS User to keep track of the status of shipments.

International Shipping

For shipping from all countries other than Canada, the United States or the European Union, please contact CLSI Shipping and Receiving

Before coming to the beamline, make sure you are able to understand the experiment needs (sample preparation, spectral range, sample holder, etc.).

Beamtimes start times ranges and it is typically advised to arrive a day before in order to be well rested and prepared. We recommend users to arrive at least a night before beamtime start. If shipping samples, please ensure that the samples have arrived prior to your arrival. Visit CLS to see options for food, lodging, accommodations and transportation.

• Visit the Badging Office with the following items
  • Proposal Number
  • Valid ID
  • Completed assigned training in the user portal

Beamline Specific Orientation (BSO):

Once you have arrived, check with the beamline staff the start time for your experiments. For new users, beamline staff will provide the necessary hutch training. The BSO will cover the associated hazards at the beamline, the safe operations of beamline operations, cover instructions on the protocol in case of an emergency, etc. Staff will also show you how to load samples and optimize beamline configuration for your experiments. It is advisable as a new user to come in pairs and schedule shifts accordingly.

User Area:

The User area has a workbench station to mount samples, a linux machine for beamline operations, diagnostics and monitoring, as well as a windows machine for data visualization and analysis. Users can transfer their data from the windows machine using a zip software and/or by emailing the data.

Housekeeping:

Users are required to keep the user area clean, and tidy during their beamtime, clean up after themselves once their beamtime is completed. `

Once you have finished your beamtime, you can gather your materials in order to ship back to your home institution. Please fill out the following form to do so (Shipping Back). After beamtime, Contact Us if you have any questions or would like to discuss your data. When publishing using CLS data, please acknowledge the CLS accordingly. For more information visit the Acknowledgements page.

Provide feedback on the User Portal.