Synthetic Mimetics of Alpha-helix Structure and Function

显示和处理科学数据的数字设计模型、网络技术和计算方法的融合使管理和显示信息的新方法的发展成为可能。在生物科学方面，这些发展催生了生物信息学领域，在人类基因组计划和微阵列数据分析等领域取得了重大进展。在神经科学领域，进展一直受到阻碍，部分原因是数据的局部性，缺乏关于哪种类型的信息与特定科学最相关的共识 目标，以及有限的设计原则的应用，以确保信息的有效、直观和真正的交互显示。大多数正在开发的信息学工具都侧重于原始数据的管理。然而，很明显，在神经科学的特定领域和其他数据丰富的领域，二阶工具，如这里提出的工具，在提供所提议的假说的状态和支持它们的数据方面将同样重要。其目标是开发一种基于网络的动态信息模型(显示)，用于可视化和操作被认为与阿尔茨海默病有关的因果机制。显示器及其动态图形界面将显示图案、路径和 从个别研究研究来看，概念上的联系并不是很明显。为该项目汇集的专业知识包括一名积极研究阿尔茨海默氏症的研究人员、一名在设计原则和信息视觉显示方面具有丰富经验的图形设计师、一名具有数据库管理经验的计算机科学家和一支生物信息学专家团队。第一阶段将包括开发一个工作模型，该模型描述了提出的解释阿尔茨海默病的主要假设，并将通过基于网络的Flash界面显示。数据挖掘最初将通过招募在外地工作的馆长来完成，这些馆长将把关键信息输入到大型生物对象中 目前正在儿童医院医疗中心信息学计划内开发模型数据库。对该模型的测试将通过阿尔茨海默病研究论坛向研究人员提供该模型，该论坛是一个广泛使用的阿尔茨海默病研究网站。该模型将由专家注释器输入、自动数据捕获方法构建，并将与主要文献(可通过PubMed获得)对接。用户界面和应用程序开发将结合最先进的设计原则。尽管原型将基于从阿尔茨海默病领域挖掘的特定文献，但模型的结构将被开发，目标是适应神经科学中的其他研究领域，并最终适应科学的其他领域。

The convergence of digital design models, networking technologies and computational approaches to the display and manipulation of scientific data makes possible the development of new ways of managing and displaying information. In the biological sciences, these developments have given rise to the field of bioinformatics, where significant advances have been made in areas such as the human genome project and analysis of microarray data. Within the neurosciences, progress has been hampered, in part, by the parochial nature of the data, the lack of consensus on what type of information is most relevant to specific scientific goals, and limited application of design principals to insure effective, intuitive and truly interactive display of information. Most informatics tools under development are focused on the management of primary data. However, it is clear that second-order tools, such as the one proposed here, will be equally important in providing a visual display of the status of proposed hypotheses, and the data supporting them, in specific areas of neuroscience and in other data-rich fields. The goal is to develop a web-based, dynamic information model (DISPLAY) for visualizing and manipulating causal mechanisms proposed to be involved in Alzheimer's disease. The DISPLAY and its dynamic graphic interface will reveal patterns, pathways and conceptual connections not readily apparent from individual research studies. The expertise brought together for this project includes an investigator actively studying Alzheimer's disease, a graphical designer with extensive experience in design principles and the visual display of information, a computer scientist with experience in database management and an expert team in bioinformatics. Phase I will involve development of a working model that depicts the major hypotheses proposed to account for Alzheimer's disease and will be displayed through a web-based Flash interface. Datamining will be initially accomplished through recruitment of curators working in the field who will enter key information into a large biological object model database currently being developed within the Children's Hospital Medical Center Informatics Program. Testing of the model will be carried out by making the model available to investigators through the Alzheimer Research Forum, a widely used web site for Alzheimer's disease research. The model will be built from expert annotator input, automated data capture methods, and will interface with primary literature (available through PubMed). User interfaces and application development will incorporate state-of-the-art design principles. Although the prototype will be based on specific literature mined from the Alzheimer's disease field, the structure of the model will be developed with the goal of being adaptable to other areas of investigation within the neurosciences and, eventually, other areas of science.