3D protein structure matching by patch signatures

For determining functionality dependencies between two proteins, both represented as 3D structures, it is an essential condition that they have one or more matching structural regions called patches. As 3D structures for proteins are large, complex and constantly evolving, it is computationally expensive and very time-consuming to identify possible locations and sizes of patches for a given protein against a large protein database. In this paper, we address a vector space based representation for protein structures, where a patch is formed by the vectors within the region. Based on our previews work, a compact representation of the patch named patch signature is applied here. A similarity measure of two patches is then derived based on their signatures. To achieve fast patch matching in large protein databases, a match-and-expand strategy is proposed. Given a query patch, a set of small k-sized matching patches, called candidate patches, is generated in match stage. The candidate patches are further filtered by enlarging k in expand stage. Our extensive experimental results demonstrate encouraging performances with respect to this biologically critical but previously computationally prohibitive problem.

A CONCEPÇÃO SOBRE SER HUMANO PARA O DISCENTE DO CURSO DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO: APROXIMAÇÕES COM A FENOMENOLOGIA DE EDITH STEIN

As grandes Revoluções que a história oficial relata apresentam um aspecto comum: a evolução do processo de comunicação aliada à evolução tecnológica. A partir do Século XX, as informações passaram a circular em número e em velocidade escalares. A interdependência e a interligação dos países, nações e pessoas estreitaram-se, pois a mobilidade no espaço virtual, progressivamente, relativiza as distâncias e os espaços geofísicos. Todavia, a avalanche de conhecimento, de aprimoramento científico e de desenvolvimento econômico parece não ser suficiente para responder, concretamente, as questões que ainda assolam a humanidade. Neste cenário, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo aproximar a concepção de ser humano para discentes do curso de administração com as categorias existenciais presentes no pensamento de Edith Stein, por meio dos objetivos específicos: Compreender o que é ser humano para o discente do curso de administração em uma IES Confessional do ABC Paulista; descrever o que é ser humano a partir do pensamento fenomenológico de Edith Stein; buscar convergências, divergências e/ou idiossincrasias entre os relatos de discentes do curso de administração em uma IES Confessional do ABC Paulista e o pensamento de Edith Stein. Para tal, foram colhidos cinco relatos de discentes de administração, por meio dos quais foram feitas aproximações, convergências-divergências com as categorias analíticas da concepção de ser humano no pensamento de Edith Stein para cada sujeito, tendo como questão norteadora: o que é ser humano para você ? Após a coleta, as entrevistas foram analisadas tendo como referência os trabalhos de Edith Stein (fenomenologia eidética), Castro (2003), Flauzino (2012) e Estanislau (2010), cumprindo as seguintes etapas: literalização dos relatos ingênuos, levantamento das unidades de sentido, levantamento e análise fenomenológica das categorias, as quais possibilitaram o diálogo intersubjetivo e objetivo com os pressupostos teóricos sobre o tema em pauta. Categorias estas denominadas de: 1. Corpo Físico e Corpo Vivente; 2. Espírito; Sujeito Psicofísico; 3. Comunidade. A partir da análise das categorias, observou-se que a concepção de ser humano conflui para a unidade do ser, ser este que é composto por corpo vivente, psique e espírito, de forma a possibilitar relações com o outro e com o ambiente. Não é possível ser humano sem um encontro com o outro, sem o respeito mútuo, sem a liberdade de ser o que se é. Emerge a dos relatos a dimensão comunitária, somente na qual se é possível realizar a humanidade, por meio de atos de liberdade, respeito e de compaixão. Desvelou-se também dentro destes relatos, que quando se é humano, a vida em seu todo é realizada de forma harmoniosa. Poder-se-á, então, por meio do revelar-se do fenômeno, obter uma nova forma de olhar, de pensar e questionar as práticas vivenciadas na Administração, contribuindo com a formação de uma massa crítica para as ciências sociais aplicadas da administração, ao refletir sobre o que há de mais estruturante e nuclear no discente de administração.

Diel Patterns of Patch Reef Community Dynamics in a Caribbean Back-Reef System

Back-reef seascapes represent critical habitat for juvenile and adult fishes. Patch reef, seagrass, and mangrove habitats form a heterogeneous mosaic, often linked by species that use reefs as structure during the day and make foraging migrations into soft-bottom habitat at night. Artificial reefs are used to model natural patch reefs, however may not function equivalently as fish habitat. To study the relative value of natural and artificial patch reefs as fish habitat, these communities in the Sea of Abaco, Bahamas were compared using roving diver surveys and time-lapse photography. Diel turnover in fish abundance, recorded with time-lapse photography and illuminated by infrared light, was quantified across midday, dusk, and night periods to explore possible effects of reef type (artificial vs. natural) on these patterns. Diurnal communities on natural reefs exhibited greater fish abundance, species richness, and functional diversity compared to artificial reefs. Furthermore, both types of reef communities exhibited a significant shift across the diel period, characterized by a decline in total fish density at night, especially for grunts (Haemulidae). Cross-habitat foraging migrations by diurnal or nocturnal species, such as haemulids, are likely central drivers of this twilight turnover and can represent important energy and nutrient subsidies. Time-lapse surveys provided more consistent measures of reef fish assemblages for the smaller artificial reef habitats, yet underestimated abundance of certain taxa and species richness on larger patch habitats when compared to the roving diver surveys. Time-lapse photography complemented with infrared light represent a valuable non-invasive approach to studying behavior of focal species and their fine-scale temporal dynamics in shallow-reef communities.

The Spiritual Resistance of Edith Stein and Regina Jonas

Emily Leah Silverman of San Jose State University gives a lecture on the spiritual resistance and religious vision of Edith Stein and Regina Jonas, two German Jewish women who engaged in "deviant" religious desires while working for their communities during the Holocaust. Event held on November 14, 2014 at the Jewish Museum of Florida-Florida International University.

Estudo de arranjos de antenas de microfita com Patch quase-fractal para comunicações sem fio

In this dissertation, are presented two microstrip antennas and two arrays for applications in wireless communication systems multiband. Initially, we studied an antenna and a linear array consisting of two elements identical to the patch antenna isolated. The shape of the patch used in both structures is based on fractal geometry and has multiband behavior. Next a new antenna is analyzed and a new array such as initial structure, but with the truncated ground plane, in order to obtain better bandwidths and return loss. For feeding the structures, we used microstrip transmission line. In the design of planar structures, was used HFSS software for the simulation. Next were built and measures electromagnetic parameters such as input impedance and return loss, using vector network analyzer in the telecommunications laboratory of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. The experimental results were compared with the simulated and showed improved return loss for the first array and also appeared a fourth band and increased directivity compared with the isolated antenna. The first two benefits are not commonly found in the literature. For structures with a truncated ground planes, the technique improved impedance matching, bandwidth and return loss when compared to the initial structure with filled ground planes. Moreover, these structures exhibited a better distribution of frequency, facilitating the adjustment of frequencies. Thus, it is expected that the planar structures presented in this study, particularly arrays may be suitable for specific applications in wireless communication systems when frequency multiband and wideband transmission signals are required.

Patch selection behaviour in the presence of environmental constraints

Habitat selection behaviour is the primary way in which organisms are able to regulate encounters with their biotic and abiotic environment. An individual chooses an area that best meets their current needs, particularly regarding safety and the presence of high-quality food. Several physical aspects of the environment can make it difficult for individuals to assess the relative habitat quality of the areas available, thus leading to suboptimal habitat selection. In this thesis, I investigated the way in which two aquatic habitat constraints - obstacles to movement between patches and turbidity - affected the ability of fish to make optimal patch choices, using threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus as a model species. Laboratory experiments showed that when movement between patches was hindered by increasingly challenging obstacles, groups of stickleback did not move as freely between the patches, and thus had greater deviations from the predictions of the Ideal Free Distribution (IFD). I also demonstrated that, unlike other species, stickleback do not use turbid environments to avoid predator detection. A trend was seen towards avoidance of a turbid food patch regardless of risk level, although this was not statistically significant. As expected, the stickleback avoided feeding in the presence of a predator regardless of water clarity. Overall, I found that both turbidity and movement constraints can have significant impacts on patch use and distribution in the threespine stickleback. Both turbidity and ease of transit will impact the distribution of ecologically important species like the threespine stickleback, and therefore should be taken into account when studying habitat selection in the wild.