Protein folding and the robustness of cells

The intricate intracellular infrastructure of all known life forms is based on proteins. The folded shape of a protein determines both the protein’s function and the set of molecules it will bind to. This tight coupling between a protein’s function and its interconnections in the molecular interaction network has consequences for the molecular course of evolution. It is also counter to human engineering approaches. Here we report on a simulation study investigating the impact of random errors in an abstract metabolic network of 500 enzymes. Tight coupling between function and interconnectivity of nodes is compared to the case where these two properties are independent. Our results show that the model system under consideration is more robust if function and interconnection are intertwined. These findings are discussed in the context of nanosystems engineering

CCDB 13 years on

The Computer Centre DataBase (CCDB) has been in operation for over thirteen years. This paper discusses how the project was initiated, the structure of the database and its interfaces and services, and how it has evolved from the time of mainframe computing to today's situation of highly inter-related distributed computer services. The primary CCDB services provided include management of computer services, accounts, e-mail addresses and e-mail routing, resources (such as CPU, disk space) and provision of data for the division's information dissemination tools such as xwho, phone and phonebook. It feeds data to these tools and many other database applications CERN-wide and uses/provides data from/to HR (Human Resources) and Landb (IT networking database)

Editorial

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Accessibility and tangible interaction in distributed workspaces based on multi-touch surfaces

[EN] Traditional interaction mechanisms in distributed digital spaces often fail to consider the intrinsic properties of action, perception, and communication among workgroups, which may affect access to the common resources used to mutually organize information. By developing suitable spatial geometries and natural interaction mechanisms, distributed spaces can become blended where the physical and virtual boundaries of local and remote spaces merge together to provide the illusion of a single unified space. In this paper, we discuss the importance of blended interaction in distributed spaces and the particular challenges faced when designing accessible technology. We illustrate this discussion through a new tangible interaction mechanism for collaborative spaces based on tabletop system technology implemented with optical frames. Our tangible elements facilitate the exchange of digital information in distributed collaborative settings by providing a physical manifestation of common digital operations. The tangibles are designed as passive elements that do not require the use of any additional hardware or external power while maintaining a high degree of accuracy.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund, through the ANNOTA Project (Ref. TIN2013-46036-C3-1-R).Salvador-Herranz, G.; Camba, J.; Contero, M.; Naya Sanchis, F. (2018). Accessibility and tangible interaction in distributed workspaces based on multi-touch surfaces. Universal Access in the Information Society. 17(2):247-256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-017-0563-7S247256172Arkin, E.M., Chew, L.P., Huttenlocher, D.P., Kedem, K., Mitchell, J.S.B.: An efficiently computable metric for comparing polygonal shapes. IEEE Trans. Acoust. 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ACM Press (2002)Fishkin, K.P., Gujar, A., Harrison, B.L., Moran, T.P., Want, R.: Embodied user interfaces for really direct manipulation. Commun. ACM 43(9), 74–80 (2000)Fitzmaurice, G.W., Buxton, W.: An empirical evaluation of graspable user interfaces: towards specialized, space-multiplexed input. In: Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 43–50. ACM (1997)Fitzmaurice, G.W., Ishii, H., Buxton, W.A.: Bricks: laying the foundations for graspable user interfaces. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 442–449. ACM Press (1995)Graham, R.L., Yao, F.F.: Finding the convex hull of a simple polygon. J. Algorithms 4(4), 324–331 (1983)Hartigan, J.A., Wong, M.A.: Algorithm as 136: a k-means clustering algorithm. J. R. Stat. Soc.: Ser. C (Appl. Stat.) 28(1), 100–108 (1979)Higgins, S.E., Mercier, E., Burd, E., Hatch, A.: Multi-touch tables and the relationship with collaborative classroom pedagogies: a synthetic review. Int. J. Comput. Support. Collab. Learn. 6(4), 515–538 (2011)Hinckley, K., Pausch, R., Goble, J.C., Kassell, N.F.: Passive real-world interface props for neurosurgical visualization. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 452–458. ACM (1994)Hinske, S.: Determining the position and orientation of multi-tagged objects using RFID technology. In: 5th Annual IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops, 2007. PerCom Workshops’07, pp. 377–381. IEEE (2007)Hornecker, E.: A design theme for tangible interaction: embodied facilitation. In: ECSCW 2005, pp. 23–43. Springer (2005)Hoshi, K., Öhberg, F., Nyberg, A.: Designing blended reality space: conceptual foundations and applications. In: Proceedings of the 25th BCS Conference on Human–Computer Interaction, pp. 217–226. British Computer Society (2011)Ishii, H.: Tangible User Interfaces. CRC Press, Boca Raton (2007)Ishii, H., Ullmer, B.: Tangible bits: towards seamless interfaces between people, bits and atoms. In: Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 234–241. ACM (1997)Jacob, R.J., Girouard, A., Hirshfield, L.M., Horn, M.S., Shaer, O., Solovey, E.T., Zigelbaum, J.: Reality-based interaction: a framework for post-wimp interfaces. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 201–210. ACM (2008)Jetter, H.C., Dachselt, R., Reiterer, H., Quigley, A., Benyon, D., Haller, M.: Blended Interaction: Envisioning Future Collaborative Interactive Spaces. ACM, New York (2013)Jin, X., Han, J.: Quality threshold clustering. In: Sammut, C., Webb, G.I. (eds.) Encyclopedia of Machine Learning, pp. 820–820. Springer, Boston, MA (2011)Jordà, S., Geiger, G., Alonso, M., Kaltenbrunner, M.: The reactable: exploring the synergy between live music performance and tabletop tangible interfaces. In: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Tangible and Embedded Interaction, pp. 139–146. ACM (2007)Kaltenbrunner, M., Bovermann, T., Bencina, R., Costanza, E.: Tuio: a protocol for table-top tangible user interfaces. In: Proceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Gesture in Human–Computer Interaction and Simulation, pp. 1–5 (2005)Kirk, D., Sellen, A., Taylor, S., Villar, N., Izadi, S.: Putting the physical into the digital: issues in designing hybrid interactive surfaces. In: Proceedings of the 23rd British HCI Group Annual Conference on People and Computers: Celebrating People and Technology, pp. 35–44. British Computer Society (2009)Marques, T., Nunes, F., Silva, P., Rodrigues, R.: Tangible interaction on tabletops for elderly people. In: International Conference on Entertainment Computing, pp. 440–443. Springer (2011)Müller, D.: Mixed reality systems. iJOE 5(S2), 10–11 (2009)Newton-Dunn, H., Nakano, H., Gibson, J.: Block jam: a tangible interface for interactive music. In: Proceedings of the 2003 Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, pp. 170–177. National University of Singapore (2003)Patten, J., Recht, B., Ishii, H.: Audiopad: a tag-based interface for musical performance. In: Proceedings of the 2002 Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, pp. 1–6. National University of Singapore (2002)Patten, J., Recht, B., Ishii, H.: Interaction techniques for musical performance with tabletop tangible interfaces. In: Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGCHI International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, p. 27. ACM (2006)PQLabs: Inc. http://multitouch.com/ . Retrieved on 16 October 2016Ryokai, K., Marti, S., Ishii, H.: I/o brush: drawing with everyday objects as ink. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI’04, pp. 303–310. ACM, New York (2004). doi: 10.1145/985692.985731Salvador, G., Bañó, M., Contero, M., Camba, J.: Evaluation of a distributed collaborative workspace as a creativity tool in the context of design education. In: 2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings, pp. 1–7. IEEE (2014)Salvador-Herranz, G., Contero, M., Camba, J.: Use of tangible marks with optical frame interactive surfaces in collaborative design scenarios based on blended spaces. In: International Conference on Cooperative Design, Visualization and Engineering, pp. 253–260. Springer (2014)Salvador-Herranz, G., Camba, J.D., Naya, F., Contero, M.: On the integration of tangible elements with multi-touch surfaces for the collaborative creation of concept maps. In: International Conference on Learning and Collaboration Technologies, pp. 177–186. 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Vintage Books (1998). https://books.google.es/books?id=l_Boy_-NkwUCZuckerman, O., Arida, S., Resnick, M.: Extending tangible interfaces for education: digital montessori-inspired manipulatives. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 859–868. ACM (2005

The SDGs in the EU Cultural Policies: an institutional communication perspective

The main goal of this research is to analyze the experts’ opinions on cultural sustainability and the importance of sustainable development in the EU cultural policies. Besides, the research analyses how institutional communication may contribute to the introduction of the sustainable development, and, specifically, of the SDGs in the European Union cultural policies’ definition. In order to achieve these objectives, we share a survey with several experts in EU cultural policies. The experts’ conclusions show that the SDGs need to be explicitly included in the cultural policies, adding a more practical perspective through specific projects and action plans. Institutional communication is a strategic factor for the success of sustainable development in terms of cultural policies and cultural sustainability in the European Union

Comparison of ultrasound-guided versus blind interventions for supraspinatus tendinopathy : A cadaveric study

Background. The treatment of supraspinatus tendinopathy remains a challenge for the health professional. This study aims to analyze the precision of needle interventions in lesions of the supraspinatus tendon when conducting them in an ultrasound-guided or non-ultrasound guided (blind) manner. Methods. Study on cadaver with infiltrations performed under ultrasound control or blind after randomization of the parts and participants. Twenty fresh cadaveric shoulders and 30 practitioners with experience using musculoskeletal ultrasound and doing needle interventions. Each practitioner performed 4 ultrasound-guided and 4 unguided punctures. This provided 240 punctures that were analyzed in 3 different anatomical cuts, thus providing a database of 720 measurements for statistical analysis. Results. Statistically significant differences were observed (p<0.0001) in the distance to the bullet point between the ultrasound-guided and the non-guided infiltrations. It was estimated that the unguided punctures were performed on average 10mm farther from the bullet point than the 'ultrasound-guided' punctures. The ultrasound-guided punctures demonstrated 95% precision while the unguided punctures had a precision rate of 12.5% (p <0.0001). Conclusion. Interventions of the supraspinatus tendon should be performed in an ultrasound-guided manner to facilitate administration of the treatment in the proper area

The plant–mycorrhizal fungi collaboration gradient depends on plant functional group

1. Plant colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is widespread and can offer considerable benefits in terms of growth, nutrient uptake and plant yield. However, it is still unresolved how different plant species and plant functional groups respond to AMF and to different AMF taxa. 2. Here we established 336 grassland microcosms to determine the response of 14 plant species displaying contrasting functional groups (grasses, legumes and non-leguminous forbs) for the presence of three different AMF taxa. For each plant species, we calculated the degree to which plant growth depended on AMF colonization (i.e. mycorrhizal dependency [MD]). We also determined the degree to which each plant species relied on specific AMF taxa for optimal growth (i.e. mycorrhizal species sensitivity [MSS]). Additionally, we determined whether MD and MSS correlated to specific plant traits (i.e. specific root length [SRL], specific leaf area [SLA]). 3. The plant growth response to AMF ranged from −84.9% for a non-mycorrhizal plant (Luzula campestris) to +94.0% for a legume (Trifolium arvensis). The MD was systematically higher in legumes (91.9% ± 2.4%), followed by non-leguminous forbs (77.1% ± 11.06) and grasses (42.1% ± 15.73%). MSS was less variable (8.9%–37.7%); it was independent of plant functional group and did not correlate with MD. MD was linked to various mycorrhizal plant parameters, including AMF colonization (R2 = +0.80) and total dry biomass (R2 = +0.32). Moreover, among mycorrhizal plants (n = 12), MD negatively correlated with SRL (R2 = −0.24) and positively with SLA (R2 = +0.24). 4. Synthesis. This study shows that plants relying on AMF for biomass production also show higher root colonization, lower SRL, higher SLA and that different plant traits are interlinked with the way how plants respond to AMF. Overall, this study further demonstrates that different plant functional groups vary in their response to AMF

Descripción geoquímica y geocronológica de secuencias volcánicas neógenas de Trasarco, en el extremo oriental de la Cadena Volcánica Transversal del Quevar (Noroeste de Argentina)

Se realizaron 34 nuevas dataciones K/Ar y 39 análisis geoquímicos de elementos mayoritarios, trazas y tierras raras, que implican nuevas aportaciones sobre las secuencias volcánicas neógenas de trasarco pertenecientes a la cadena volcánica transversal del Quevar. Esta cadena volcánica parte del arco volcánico actual con dirección W N W-ESE hasta las cercanías de la localidad de San Antonio de los Cobres. Se han reconocido y estudiado centros volcánicos ubicados en el extremo oriental de la misma. Los diferentes pulsos detectados en cada uno de estos centros (Aguas Calientes, Acay, El Morro-Orrganullo y Tocomar) son geoquímica y petrogr á ficamente homogéneos. Se interpreta que las cámaras magmáticas involucradas no han estado estratificadas composicionalmente ni han tenido sectores enriquecidos en cristales. Como excepción, el centro eruptivo Acay muestra un rango composicional desde términos andesíticos a riolíticos. En este caso, se interpreta un fraccionamiento de la cámara magmática en pulsos de edad similar. La composición isotópica del centro eruptivo Aguas Calientes indica una fuerte componente cortical en la formación de los magmas. Es posible explicar su origen a partir de fusión cortical. Las determinaciones geocronológicas realizadas muestran pulsos volcánicos a los 17-19 Ma, 13-12 Ma, 10 Ma, 7-6 Ma, 1-0.5 Ma en esta región de los Andes Centrales.New geochronological data (34) and 39 new geochemical analyses have been made in the Neogene backarc volcanic sequences in the “El Quevar Transversal Volcanic Chain” defined by Viramonte et al (1984a). This chain starts at the present N-S arc with WNW-ESE trend. New volcanic centres have been recognised and analysed at the eastern end of this chain. The different pulses from each volcanic centre (Aguas Calientes, Acay, El Morro - Organullo and Tocomar) are petrographically and geochemically homogeneous. This suggests that the magma chambers related in each volcano, were geochemically homogeneous and did not have crystal enriched sectors. The Acay eruptive centre is an exception of this assumption; a compositionally differentiated magmatic chamber could be inferred. The isotopic composition of the Aguas Calientes emission centre has a crust signature in its origin, related with melts generated by crustal fussion. The geochronological determinations show volcanic pulses at 17-19 Ma, 13-12 Ma, 10 Ma, 7-6 Ma, 1-0.5 Ma in this region of the Central Andes

Planar magnetoinductive wave transducers : theory and applications

Transduction of magnetoinductive waves (MIWs) in planar technology is demonstrated. A transducer consisting of a one-dimensional periodic array of metallic split squared ring resonators (SSRR), placed between a pair of microstrip lines on a planar substrate has been fabricated and measured. The microstrip lines are inductively coupled to the SSRRs located at the ends of the periodic array and excite MIWs that propagate along the array. The theoretical model for the dispersion of MIWs is used to predict the dispersion relation and the delay time in the device. The delay time was measured and a good agreement was found with the theoretical predictions. The transmission coefficient of the device was also measured. The theoretical and experimental results suggest that the proposed configuration can find application in the design of delay lines and other microwave devices. In fact, the behavior of the proposed transducer is similar to that of the conventional ferritemagnetostatic-wavetransducer. However, ferrite devices are fragile, difficult to integrate, and require a heavy external magnet or electromagnet to magnetize the ferrite to saturation. Since all these drawbacks are not present in the proposed configuration, it may be a useful alternative to those devices for many practical applications