jsNMR: an embedded platform-independent NMR spectrum viewer

SpinSPJ: a novel NMR scripting system to implement artificial intelligence and advanced applications

Background

Software for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers offer general functionality of instrument control and data processing; these applications are often developed with non-scripting languages. NMR users need to flexibly integrate rapidly developing NMR applications with emerging technologies. Scripting systems offer open environments for NMR users to write custom programs. However, existing scripting systems have limited capabilities for both extending the functionality of NMR software’s non-script main program and using advanced native script libraries to support specialized application domains (e.g., biomacromolecules and metabolomics). Therefore, it is essential to design a novel scripting system to address both of these needs.

Result

Here, a novel NMR scripting system named SpinSPJ is proposed. It works as a plug-in in the Java based NMR spectrometer software SpinStudioJ. In the scripting system, both Java based NMR methods and original CPython based libraries are supported. A module has been developed as a bridge to integrate the runtime environments of Java and CPython. The module works as an extension in the CPython environment and interacts with Java via the Java Native Interface. Leveraging this bridge, Java based instrument control and data processing methods of SpinStudioJ can be called with the CPython style. Compared with traditional scripting systems, SpinSPJ better supports both extending the non-script main program and implementing advanced NMR applications with a rich variety of script libraries. NMR researchers can easily call functions of instrument control and data processing as well as developing complex functionality (such as multivariate statistical analysis, deep learning, etc.) with CPython native libraries.

Conclusion

SpinSPJ offers a user-friendly environment to implement custom functionality leveraging its powerful basic NMR and rich CPython libraries. NMR applications with emerging technologies can be easily integrated. The scripting system is free of charge and can be downloaded by visiting http://www.spinstudioj.net/spinspj.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-021-04492-y.

Single-crystal NMR spectroscopy

Single-crystal (SC) NMR spectroscopy is a solid-state NMR method that has been used since the early days of NMR to study the magnitude and orientation of tensorial nuclear spin interactions in solids. This review first presents the field of SC NMR instrumentation, then provides a survey of software for analysis of SC NMR data, and finally it highlights selected applications of SC NMR in various fields of research. The aim of the last part is not to provide a complete review of all SC NMR literature but to provide examples that demonstrate interesting applications of SC NMR.

ChemSpectra: a web-based spectra editor for analytical data

ChemSpectra, a web-based software to visualize and analyze spectroscopic data, integrating solutions for infrared spectroscopy (IR), mass spectrometry (MS), and one-dimensional ¹H and ¹³C NMR (proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy, is described. ChemSpectra serves as web-based tool for the analysis of the most often used types of one-dimensional spectroscopic data in synthetic (organic) chemistry research. It was developed to support in particular processes for the use of open file formats which enable the work according to the FAIR data principles. The software can deal with the open file formats JCAMP-DX (IR, MS, NMR) and mzML (MS) proposing these data file types to gain interoperable data. ChemSpectra can be extended to read also other formats as exemplified by selected proprietary mass spectrometry data files of type RAW and NMR spectra files of type FID. The JavaScript-based editor can be integrated with other software, as demonstrated by integration into the Chemotion electronic lab notebook (ELN) and Chemotion repository, demonstrating the implementation into a digital work environment that offers additional functionality and sustainable research data management options. ChemSpectra supports different functions for working with spectroscopic data such as zoom functions, peak picking and automatic peak detection according to a default or manually defined threshold. NMR specific functions include the definition of a reference signal, the integration of signals, coupling constant calculation and multiplicity assignment. Embedded into a web application such as an ELN or a repository, the editor can also be used to generate an association of spectra to a sample and a file management. The file management supports the storage of the original spectra along with the last edited version and an automatically generated image of the spectra in png format. To maximize the benefit of the spectra editor for e.g. ELN users, an automated procedure for the transfer of the detected or manually chosen signals to the ELN was implemented. ChemSpectra is released under the AGPL license to encourage its re-use and further developments by the community.

NFDI4Chem - Towards a National Research Data Infrastructure for Chemistry in Germany

The vision of NFDI4Chem is the digitalisation of all key steps in chemical research to support scientists in their efforts to collect, store, process, analyse, disclose and re-use research data. Measures to promote Open Science and Research Data Management (RDM) in agreement with the FAIR data principles are fundamental aims of NFDI4Chem to serve the chemistry community with a holistic concept for access to research data. To this end, the overarching objective is the development and maintenance of a national research data infrastructure for the research domain of chemistry in Germany, and to enable innovative and easy to use services and novel scientific approaches based on re-use of research data. NFDI4Chem intends to represent all disciplines of chemistry in academia. We aim to collaborate closely with thematically related consortia. In the initial phase, NFDI4Chem focuses on data related to molecules and reactions including data for their experimental and theoretical characterisation.

This overarching goal is achieved by working towards a number of key objectives:

Key Objective 1: Establish a virtual environment of federated repositories for storing, disclosing, searching and re-using research data across distributed data sources. Connect existing data repositories and, based on a requirements analysis, establish domain-specific research data repositories for the national research community, and link them to international repositories.

Key Objective 2: Initiate international community processes to establish minimum information (MI) standards for data and machine-readable metadata as well as open data standards in key areas of chemistry. Identify and recommend open data standards in key areas of chemistry, in order to support the FAIR principles for research data. Finally, develop standards, if there is a lack.

Key Objective 3: Foster cultural and digital change towards Smart Laboratory Environments by promoting the use of digital tools in all stages of research and promote subsequent Research Data Management (RDM) at all levels of academia, beginning in undergraduate studies curricula.

Key Objective 4: Engage with the chemistry community in Germany through a wide range of measures to create awareness for and foster the adoption of FAIR data management. Initiate processes to integrate RDM and data science into curricula. Offer a wide range of training opportunities for researchers.

Key Objective 5: Explore synergies with other consortia and promote cross-cutting development within the NFDI.

Key Objective 6: Provide a legally reliable framework of policies and guidelines for FAIR and open RDM.

Core Scientific Dataset Model: A lightweight and portable model and file format for multi-dimensional scientific data

The Core Scientific Dataset (CSD) model with JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) serialization is presented as a lightweight, portable, and versatile standard for intra- and interdisciplinary scientific data exchange. This model supports datasets with a p-component dependent variable, {U₀, …, U_q, …, U_p−1}, discretely sampled at M unique points in a d-dimensional independent variable (X₀, …, X_k, …, X_d−1) space. Moreover, this sampling is over an orthogonal grid, regular or rectilinear, where the principal coordinate axes of the grid are the independent variables. It can also hold correlated datasets assuming the different physical quantities (dependent variables) are sampled on the same orthogonal grid of independent variables. The model encapsulates the dependent variables’ sampled data values and the minimum metadata needed to accurately represent this data in an appropriate coordinate system of independent variables. The CSD model can serve as a re-usable building block in the development of more sophisticated portable scientific dataset file standards.

SpinStudioJ: A cross-platform NMR data acquisition and processing workbench based on a plug-in architecture

Flexibility and extensibility are important issues in the design of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) software, as these determine the ability to integrate a variety of continuously evolving data acquisition and processing methods. Here, SpinStudioJ is introduced. It is an NMR data acquisition and processing workbench with a plug-in-based architecture. The workbench is based on Eclipse Rich Client Platform, which provides a plug-and-play runtime mechanism and rich graphical user interface functionality. New data acquisition methods and processing algorithms can be easily integrated into the SpinStudioJ workbench by defining extension points, without the need to redistribute existing modules. The software is independent of operating systems, as it leverages the cross-platform feature of the Java virtual machine.

Fast simulations of multidimensional NMR spectra of proteins and peptides

To simulate full multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of peptides and proteins in a reasonable time frame, a strategy for separating the time-consuming full-density matrix calculations from the chemical shift prediction and calculation of coupling patterns is presented. The simulation setup uses SIMulation Program for SOlid-state NMR (SIMPSON) to calculate total correlation spectroscopy transfer amplitudes and average distances as a source for nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy transfer amplitudes. Simulated ¹ H 1D, 2D total correlation spectroscopy, and 2D nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of peptides with sequence Pro─Ala─Gly─Tyr─Asn and Asn─Phe─Gly─Ala─Ile─Leu and of ubiquitin are presented. In all cases, the simulations lasted from a few seconds to tens of seconds on a normal laptop computer.

SpecPad: device-independent NMR data visualization and processing based on the novel DART programming language and Html5 Web technology

SpecPad is a new device-independent software program for the visualization and processing of one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) time domain (FID) and frequency domain (spectrum) data. It is the result of a project to investigate whether the novel programming language DART, in combination with Html5 Web technology, forms a suitable base to write an NMR data evaluation software which runs on modern computing devices such as Android, iOS, and Windows tablets as well as on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X desktop PCs and notebooks. Another topic of interest is whether this technique also effectively supports the required sophisticated graphical and computational algorithms. SpecPad is device-independent because DART's compiled executable code is JavaScript and can, therefore, be run by the browsers of PCs and tablets. Because of Html5 browser cache technology, SpecPad may be operated off-line. Network access is only required during data import or export, e.g. via a Cloud service, or for software updates. A professional and easy to use graphical user interface consistent across all hardware platforms supports touch screen features on mobile devices for zooming and panning and for NMR-related interactive operations such as phasing, integration, peak picking, or atom assignment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Review of emerging metabolomic tools and resources: 2015-2016

Data processing and analysis are major bottlenecks in high-throughput metabolomic experiments. Recent advancements in data acquisition platforms are driving trends toward increasing data size (e.g., petabyte scale) and complexity (multiple omic platforms). Improvements in data analysis software and in silico methods are similarly required to effectively utilize these advancements and link the acquired data with biological interpretations. Herein, we provide an overview of recently developed and freely available metabolomic tools, algorithms, databases, and data analysis frameworks. This overview of popular tools for MS and NMR-based metabolomics is organized into the following sections: data processing, annotation, analysis, and visualization. The following overview of newly developed tools helps to better inform researchers to support the emergence of metabolomics as an integral tool for the study of biochemistry, systems biology, environmental analysis, health, and personalized medicine.

Visualization and processing of computed solid-state NMR parameters: MagresView and MagresPython

We introduce two open source tools to aid the processing and visualisation of ab-initio computed solid-state NMR parameters. The Magres file format for computed NMR parameters (as implemented in CASTEP v8.0 and QuantumEspresso v5.0.0) is implemented. MagresView is built upon the widely used Jmol crystal viewer, and provides an intuitive environment to display computed NMR parameters. It can provide simple pictorial representation of one- and two-dimensional NMR spectra as well as output a selected spin-system for exact simulations with dedicated spin-dynamics software. MagresPython provides a simple scripting environment to manipulate large numbers of computed NMR parameters to search for structural correlations.

A simple low-cost single-crystal NMR setup

A low-cost single-crystal NMR kit is presented along with a web-based post-processing software. The kit consists of a piezo-crystal motor and a goniometer for the crystal, both embedded in a standard wide-bore NMR probe with a 3D printed scaffold. The NMR pulse program controls the angle setting automatically, and the post-processing software incorporates a range of orientation-angle discrepancies present in the kit and other single-crystal setups. Results with a NaNO3 single-crystal show a high degree of reproducibility and excellent agreement with previous findings for the anisotropic quadrupolar interaction.

Solid-state NMR methods for oriented membrane proteins

Oriented-sample solid-state NMR represents one of few experimental methods capable of characterising the membrane-bound conformation of proteins in the cell membrane. Since the technique was developed 25 years ago, the technique has been applied to study the structure of helix bundle membrane proteins and antimicrobial peptides, characterise protein-lipid interactions, and derive information on dynamics of the membrane anchoring of membrane proteins. We will review the major developments in various aspects of oriented-sample solid-state NMR, including sample-preparation methods, pulse sequences, theory required to interpret the experiments, perspectives for and guidelines to new experiments, and a number of representative applications.