1,721,176 research outputs found

    Folding simulation of protein models on the structure-based cubo-octahedral lattice with the Contact Interactions algorithm

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    Computer simulations of protein models on lattices have been widely used as an aid in the study of protein folding process. Following the suggestion of Raghunathan and Jernigan (1997, Protein Sci 6:2072-2083) that the cubooctahedral lattice can allow a more realistic representation of proteins than other lattices, we propose here the use of a new set of internal coordinates theta for the description of a protein model on this lattice. An easy procedure for the conversion of the theta coordinates to the Cartesian coordinates is also described. When the Contact Interaction approach, already proposed by us for simulations on square or cubic lattices, was applied to the cube-octahedral lattice, the system obeyed the correct thermodynamics derived from the definition of energy. Thus, lattice simulations of protein models, in which secondary structure elements such as alpha-helices or beta-strands can be easily identifiable, can be performed

    A lattice study of multimolecular ensembles of protein models. Effect of sequence on the final state: Globules, aggregates, dimers, fibrillae

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    Three sequences of simple protein models on the two-dimensional square lattice have been chosen for a study of the behavior of different classes of proteins as a function of temperature and concentration using multimolecular systems under periodic boundary conditions. The results of the dynamic simulations have shown the profound influence that the intermolecular contacts can have on the accessibility of the states the various sequences can reach: this makes possible the formation of different kinds of structures under the control not only of sequence and temperature but also of concentration that can become the main driving force for the formation of ordered lamellar structures for sequences properly designed

    Contact interactions method: A new algorithm for protein folding simulations

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    Computer simulations of simple exact lattice models are an aid in the study of protein folding process; they have sometimes resulted in predictions experimentally proved. The contact interactions (CI) method is here proposed as a new algorithm for the conformational search in the low-energy regions of protein chains modeled as copolymers of hydrophobic and polar monomers configured as self-avoiding walks on square or cubic lattices. It may be regarded as an extension of the standard Monte Carlo method improved by the concept of cooperativity deriving from nonlocal contact interactions. A major difference with respect to other algorithms is that criteria for the acceptance of new conformations generated during the simulations are not based on the energy of the entire molecule, but cooling factors associated with each residue define regions of the model protein with higher or lower mobility. Nine sequences of length ranging from 20 to 64 residues were used on the square lattice and 15 sequences of length ranging from 46 to 136 residues were used on the cubic lattice. The CI algorithm proved very efficient both in two and three dimensions, and allowed us to localize energy minima nor localized by other searching algorithms described in the literature. Use of this algorithm is not limited to the conformational search, because it allows the exploration of thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of model protein chains

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Simulation of polymer crystallization through a dynamic Monte Carlo lattice model

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    A simulation approach to polymer crystallization is presented. The molecules approach crystallization through a compact globule state. The simulation shows that individual molecules acquire a lamellar conformation, even before interacting to form a crystal. The lamellar thickness is considerably smaller than in the most stable state, in agreement with the experimental observations. The lamellar thickness is observed to decrease as a function of the temperature of simulation, also in agreement with the experimental observations

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis

    Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts

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    We conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more sophisticated methods

    Author Index

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