[gmx-users] to gro or not to gro

David van der Spoel spoel at xray.bmc.uu.se
Sun Nov 27 12:26:16 CET 2011


On 2011-11-27 12:15, Igor Druz wrote:
> write to gro in angstroms, read from gro in angstroms, convert into nm
> in grompp.
>
once more you don't have to use gro, use g96 if precision is important. 
if we'd introduce a gro format in angstrom it couldn't be called .gro 
anyway since that would confuse tons of programs using it.


> On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 10:41 AM, Tsjerk Wassenaar <tsjerkw at gmail.com
> <mailto:tsjerkw at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Hi Igor,
>
>     Please do read the manual. The GRO file format is a fixed-width format
>     with %8.3f for coordinates, velocities and forces. Changing the format
>     to %9.4f will break everything written in fortran. And, yes, people
>     still use fortran. So which point did I miss? :)
>
>     Cheers,
>
>     Tsjerk
>
>
>     On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 11:38 AM, Igor Druz <idruz512 at gmail.com
>     <mailto:idruz512 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>      > You are missing the point. Quoting my response to David:
>      >
>      > I appreciate the history of the matter, but it would save a lot
>     of headache
>      > to store coordinates in angstroms in gro files, i.e., not to omit
>     "2" in
>      > 4.172 A in the pdb file by converting it to 0.417 nm in the gro
>     file. What
>      > is the point in dropping useful "2" by introducing useless "0"?
>      >
>      > On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 10:30 AM, Tsjerk Wassenaar
>     <tsjerkw at gmail.com <mailto:tsjerkw at gmail.com>>
>      > wrote:
>      >>
>      >> My my. Why is it a fault to adhere to ISO units (nm) over
>     non-standard
>      >> (A)? It's a choice, but a choice is not faulty. The consequences may
>      >> be undesirable. But shouldn't a user, certainly a computation
>      >> scientist, understand the file formats, as an experimentalist should
>      >> know its solvent? And know the consequences of using one over
>     another?
>      >> Mark is correct to state that a picometer uncertainty at the
>     start has
>      >> no consequences for molecular dynamics simulations. For single point
>      >> eneriges they will have. But no one ever forced anyone to use GRO
>      >> rather than PDB format. That's the choice the researcher makes. And,
>      >> at least in my tutorial, that difference between GRO and PDB
>     format is
>      >> stressed. The choice to use standard units is historical, and lies
>      >> decades back in time. Could we now change it to A, because a
>     'faulty'
>      >> choice was made?
>      >>
>      >> I'm terribly sorry that you need to do a lot of work again,
>     Igor. But
>      >> you can't shove the blame in another's shoes. You overlooked
>      >> something, lead by presumptions about standardization in units and
>      >> file formats. May I wonder why you only found out now, after all the
>      >> work has been done? This difference would have showed up with the
>      >> first test, right? But again, it's not us against you, and I'm sorry
>      >> you have to go through this. Trust me, most of us have had such
>      >> moments, although with a different aspect.
>      >>
>      >> Best,
>      >>
>      >> Tsjerk
>      >>
>      >> On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 11:03 AM, Igor Druz <idruz512 at gmail.com
>     <mailto:idruz512 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>      >> > You can put whichever spin you like into what is said,
>     but there is a
>      >> > clear
>      >> > (and unnecessary) fault with the way coordinates are stored in
>     gro files
>      >> > when made from pdb using pdb2gmx.
>      >> >
>      >> > On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 12:39 AM, Mark Abraham
>     <Mark.Abraham at anu.edu.au <mailto:Mark.Abraham at anu.edu.au>>
>      >> > wrote:
>      >> >>
>      >> >> On 27/11/2011 5:07 AM, Igor Druz wrote:
>      >> >>
>      >> >> On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 5:35 PM, <chris.neale at utoronto.ca
>     <mailto:chris.neale at utoronto.ca>> wrote
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> 1. why repeat the calculations? If you're talking about
>     simulations
>      >> >>> then
>      >> >>> there is no need to repeat them due to this. You will get
>     different
>      >> >>> answers
>      >> >>> with the same starting coordinates if you simply change the
>     initial
>      >> >>> velocities. If you're talking about instantaneous energy
>     calculations
>      >> >>> then I
>      >> >>> suppose you might need to redo it, but they should be very
>     quick,
>      >> >>> right?
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>
>      >> >> The calculations must be repeated. You are making irrelevant
>      >> >> assumptions
>      >> >> without knowing what the calculations are for.
>      >> >>
>      >> >> You asserted that there should have been a warning without
>     explaining
>      >> >> why
>      >> >> this loss of precision was material. Chris knew that many uses of
>      >> >> pdb2gmx
>      >> >> change the atomic configuration considerably, e.g. new hydrogen
>      >> >> positions,
>      >> >> building termini, etc. so that any change of precision of
>     coordinates
>      >> >> is not
>      >> >> a big deal, and even less important once a simulation has run
>      >> >> afterwards. If
>      >> >> you want to engage in constructive dialogue, please explain
>     why the
>      >> >> loss of
>      >> >> precision was material, in order to clarify the reason for
>     your request
>      >> >> for
>      >> >> a warning message. If you wish to blow off steam, please do it
>      >> >> elsewhere.
>      >> >>
>      >> >>
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> 2. The .gro files do not carry useless zeroes. you have it
>      >> >>> backwards...
>      >> >>> the gro files end up with fewer digits.
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>
>      >> >> 0.417 or 4.172. Shall I continue? I know which one I prefer.
>      >> >>
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> 3. it's a little annoying to find out that you already knew the
>      >> >>> answer.
>      >> >>> Why not state that at the outset? Unless I misunderstand
>     this point,
>      >> >>> this
>      >> >>> will mark the end of my comments since holding back
>     information on
>      >> >>> purpose
>      >> >>> just wastes people's time.
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>
>      >> >> Check my 1st e-mail, please. It is NOT asking for
>     clarification. It is
>      >> >> requesting an explicit warning message.
>      >> >>
>      >> >> There's nothing to warn about. You thought that "switching from
>      >> >> Angstrom
>      >> >> to nanometers" was significant somehow, and then assumed that
>     different
>      >> >> file
>      >> >> formats would definitely contain identical information, and
>     didn't
>      >> >> check
>      >> >> their contents.
>      >> >>
>      >> >> Mark
>      >> >>
>      >> >>
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> Chris.
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> -- original message --
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> I already knew the reason. But I had to find this out hard
>     way. Now
>      >> >>> facing
>      >> >>> a dreading prospect of repeating tons of calculations!
>       Hence the
>      >> >>> request
>      >> >>> for the "bad for the health" sign. Btw, gromacs issues a lot of
>      >> >>> warnings,
>      >> >>> but not this one :D
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> What a bright idea to switch from angstroms to nanometers!
>     Now the gro
>      >> >>> files carry a lot of useless zeros.
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>>
>      >> >>> --
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>      >>
>      >>
>      >> --
>      >> Tsjerk A. Wassenaar, Ph.D.
>      >>
>      >> post-doctoral researcher
>      >> Molecular Dynamics Group
>      >> * Groningen Institute for Biomolecular Research and Biotechnology
>      >> * Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials
>      >> University of Groningen
>      >> The Netherlands
>      >> --
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>
>
>     --
>     Tsjerk A. Wassenaar, Ph.D.
>
>     post-doctoral researcher
>     Molecular Dynamics Group
>     * Groningen Institute for Biomolecular Research and Biotechnology
>     * Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials
>     University of Groningen
>     The Netherlands
>     --
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>


-- 
David van der Spoel, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Dept. of Cell & Molec. Biol., Uppsala University.
Box 596, 75124 Uppsala, Sweden. Phone:	+46184714205.
spoel at xray.bmc.uu.se    http://folding.bmc.uu.se



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