A program suite for one-dimensional small-angle scattering data processing running on IBM-compatible PCs under Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP is presented. The main program, PRIMUS, has a menu-driven graphical user interface calling computational modules to perform data manipulation and analysis. Experimental data in binary OTOKO format can be reduced by calling the program SAPOKO, which includes statistical analysis of time frames, averaging and scaling. Tools to generate the angular axis and detector response ®les from diffraction patterns of calibration samples, as well as binary to ASCII transformation programs, are available. Several types of ASCII ®les can be directly imported into PRIMUS, in particular, sasCIF or ILL-type ®les are read without modi®cation. PRIMUS provides basic data manipulation functions (averaging, background subtraction, merging of data measured in different angular ranges, extrapolation to zero sample concentration, etc.) and computes invariants from Guinier and Porod plots. Several external modules coupled with PRIMUS via pop-up menus enable the user to evaluate the characteristic functions by indirect Fourier transformation, to perform peak analysis for partially ordered systems and to ®nd shape approximations in terms of threeparametric geometrical bodies. For the analysis of mixtures, PRIMUS enables model-independent singular value decomposition or linear ®tting if the scattering from the components is known. An interface is also provided to the general non-linear ®tting program MIXTURE, which is designed for quantitative analysis of multicomponent systems represented by simple geometrical bodies, taking shape and size polydispersity as well as interparticle interference effects into account.

The paper presents new developments and amendments to the ATSAS package (version 2.4) for processing and analysis of isotropic small-angle scattering data.

ATSAS is a comprehensive software suite for the analysis of small-angle scattering data from dilute solutions of biological macromolecules or nanoparticles. It contains applications for primary data processing and assessment, ab initio bead modelling, and model validation, as well as methods for the analysis of flexibility and mixtures. In addition, approaches are supported that utilize information from X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy or atomistic homology modelling to construct hybrid models based on the scattering data. This article summarizes the progress made during the 2.5-2.8 ATSAS release series and highlights the latest developments. These include AMBIMETER, an assessment of the reconstruction ambiguity of experimental data; DATCLASS, a multiclass shape classification based on experimental data; SASRES, for estimating the resolution of ab initio model reconstructions; CHROMIXS, a convenient interface to analyse in-line size exclusion chromatography data; SHANUM, to evaluate the useful angular range in measured data; SREFLEX, to refine available high-resolution models using normal mode analysis; SUPALM for a rapid superposition of low-and highresolution models; and SASPy, the ATSAS plugin for interactive modelling in PyMOL. All these features and other improvements are included in the ATSAS release 2.8, freely available for academic users from https://www.emblhamburg.de/biosaxs/software.html.