3D visualisation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor clusters and the molecular-scale fraying of dyads

Clusters of ryanodine receptor calcium channels (RyRs) form the primary molecular machinery in cardiomyocytes. Various adaptations of super-resolution microscopy have revealed intricate details of the structure, molecular composition and locations of these couplons. However, most optical super-resolution techniques lack the capacity for three-dimensional (3D) visualisation. Enhanced Expansion Microscopy (EExM) offers resolution (in-plane and axially) sufficient to spatially resolve individual proteins within peripheral couplons and within dyads located in the interior. We have combined immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry variations of EExM with 3D visualisation to examine the complex topologies, geometries and molecular sub-domains within RyR clusters. We observed that peripheral couplons exhibit variable co-clustering ratios and patterns between RyR and the structural protein, junctophilin-2 (JPH2). Dyads possessed sub-domains of JPH2 which occupied the central regions of the RyR cluster, whilst the poles were typically devoid of JPH2 and broader, and likely specialise in turnover and remodelling of the cluster. In right ventricular myocytes from rats with monocrotaline-induced right ventricular failure, we observed hallmarks of RyR cluster fragmentation accompanied by similar fragmentations of the JPH2 sub-domains. We hypothesise that the frayed morphology of RyRs in close proximity to fragmented JPH2 structural sub-domains may form the primordial foci of RyR mobilisation and dyad remodelling.

Virtual Reality as a Tool for Public Consultations in Spatial Planning and Management

Planning and management of urban space that involves the local community the process is key to optimal management of the surroundings, in line with social needs. Social isolation imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic considerably reduces the possibility of conducting public consultations. This study hypothesized that such consultations can be carried out using new visualisation technologies in the virtual reality (VR) area. Owing to the development of new technologies, innovative services can be created which make it easier for recipients to absorb new content. To this end, the ArchitektVR application was developed, which uses enhanced reality for public consultations concerning planned land development. 3D visualisation with VR enables the presentation of various aspects of area development in a clear form, understandable to an average user with no specialist qualifications. It facilitates the presentation and creation of multiple variants/scenarios for the future shape of the area. The research assumptions were tested for a disused area of a water body. According to preliminary tests, the use of virtual reality could provide a new form of communication between decision-makers and citizens. Effective and easy-to-understand visualisations might provide encouragement to participate in local matters and enable citizens to make better decisions. 3D visualisation enabled concerned individuals to assess the potential development of a selected area fragment without an in-person visit, either in the field or to an office. This is of particular importance in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and sanitary restrictions.

eParticipation in Neighbourhood Development

Public involvement in urban planning is not new, but with recent innovations in the ICT sector and their rapid uptake by society, urban planners and public authorities have access to new digital means to facilitate it. The article focuses on the potential of digital solutions for stakeholder participation during the whole lifecycle of the urban neighborhood, such as participatory maps, 3D-visualisation, augmented reality, and virtual reality, and emphasizes their specifics. The article draws on diverse project experiences in Germany, but the authors argue its relevance for other cases in Europe and worldwide.

Virtual Community Heritage – An Immersive Approach to Community Heritage

Our relationship with cultural heritage has been transformed by digital technologies. Opportunities have emerged to preserve and access cultural heritage material while engaging an audience at both regional and global level. Accessibility of technology has enabled audiences to participate in digital heritage curation process. Participatory practices and co-production methodologies have created new relationships between museums and communities, as they are engaged to become active participants in the co-design and co-creation of heritage material. Audiences are more interested in experiences vs services nowadays and museums and heritage organisations have potential to entertain while providing engaging experiences beyond their physical walls. Mixed reality is an emerging method of engagement that has allowed enhanced interaction beyond traditional 3D visualisation models into fully immersive worlds. There is potential to transport audiences to past worlds that enhance their experience and understanding of cultural heritage.

Core-CT: A MATLAB application for the quantitative analysis of sediment and coral cores from X-ray computed tomography (CT)

<div> <p>X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a non-destructive imaging technique that provides three-dimensional (3D) visualisation and high-resolution quantitative data in the form of CT numbers. CT numbers are derived as a function of the X-ray energy, effective atomic number and density of the sample. The sensitivity of the CT number to changes in material density allows it to successfully identify facies changes within sediment cores by detecting downcore shifts in sediment properties, and quantify skeletal linear extension rates and the volume of internal voids from biological erosion of coral cores. Here we present two algorithms to analyse CT scan images specific to geoscience research packaged within an open source MATLAB application (Core-CT). The first algorithm facilitates the computation of representative CT numbers from a user-defined region of interest to identify boundaries of density change (e.g. sedimentary facies, laminations, coral growth bands). The second algorithm enables the segmentation of regions with major density contrast (e.g. internal void space or biogenic material) and the geometric measurements of these irregularities. The versatility of Core-CT for geoscience applications is then demonstrated by utilising CT scans from a range of environmental settings comprising both sediment (Lake Huelde, Chile and Kallang River Basin, Singapore) and coral cores (Thuwal region of Red Sea, Saudi Arabia). Analysis of sediment cores show the capabilities of Core-CT to: 1) locate tsunami deposits from lacustrine sediments, 2) provide rapid and detailed measurement of varved sediments, and 3) identify sedimentary facies from an unsplit shallow marine sediment core. Analysis of coral cores allow us to successfully measure skeletal linear extension from annual growth bands, and provide volumetric quantification and 3D visualisation of internal bioerosion. Core-CT is an accessible, multi-use MATLAB based program that is freely available at GitHub  (https://github.com/yuting-yan/Core-CT).</p> </div><p> </p>

3D Visualisation of Chemical Shielding Tensors (VIST) to Elucidate Aromaticity and Antiaromaticity

Aromaticity is a central concept in chemistry, pervading areas from biochemistry to materials science. Recently, synthetic chemists started to exploit more intricate phenomena such as the interplay of local and global (anti)aromaticity as well as aromaticity in non-planar systems and three dimensions. These phenomena pose new challenges in terms of our fundamental understanding and the practical visualisation of aromaticity, its local variations and anisotropy. To overcome these challenges, a method for the visualisation of chemical shielding tensors (VIST) is developed here. The VIST method is based on nucleus-independent chemical shifts but, in contrast to other methods, allows for a 3D visualisation with quantitative information about the local variations and anisotropy of the chemical shielding. The VIST method is exemplified in benzene to show its main properties, in phenanthrene to highlight various degrees of local aromaticity, and in cyclobuta[l]phenanthrene to illustrate the interplay between local aromaticity and antiaromaticity in its singlet ground state and Baird aromaticity in its triplet excited state.<br>Subsequently, the interplay of local and global aromaticity is investigated in two non-planar macrocycles, paracyclophanetetraene and [8]cycloparaphenylene, exemplifying the unique benefits of the VIST method for studying (anti)aromaticity in molecules with competing $\pi$-conjugated systems aligned in different planes.<br>Finally, a stacked norcorrole dimer is studied, showing clear evidence of through-space aromaticity. In summary, we believe that the VIST method will be a highly valuable addition to the computational toolbox of chemists studying (anti)aromaticity or considering it in their molecular design.