A review of techniques for spatial modeling in geographical, conservation and landscape genetics

Most evolutionary processes occur in a spatial context and several spatial analysis techniques have been employed in an exploratory context. However, the existence of autocorrelation can also perturb significance tests when data is analyzed using standard correlation and regression techniques on modeling genetic data as a function of explanatory variables. In this case, more complex models incorporating the effects of autocorrelation must be used. Here we review those models and compared their relative performances in a simple simulation, in which spatial patterns in allele frequencies were generated by a balance between random variation within populations and spatially-structured gene flow. Notwithstanding the somewhat idiosyncratic behavior of the techniques evaluated, it is clear that spatial autocorrelation affects Type I errors and that standard linear regression does not provide minimum variance estimators. Due to its flexibility, we stress that principal coordinate of neighbor matrices (PCNM) and related eigenvector mapping techniques seem to be the best approaches to spatial regression. In general, we hope that our review of commonly used spatial regression techniques in biology and ecology may aid population geneticists towards providing better explanations for population structures dealing with more complex regression problems throughout geographic space

Astrobiological Complexity with Probabilistic Cellular Automata

Search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence constitutes one of the major endeavors in science, but has yet been quantitatively modeled only rarely and in a cursory and superficial fashion. We argue that probabilistic cellular automata (PCA) represent the best quantitative framework for modeling astrobiological history of the Milky Way and its Galactic Habitable Zone. The relevant astrobiological parameters are to be modeled as the elements of the input probability matrix for the PCA kernel. With the underlying simplicity of the cellular automata constructs, this approach enables a quick analysis of large and ambiguous input parameters' space. We perform a simple clustering analysis of typical astrobiological histories and discuss the relevant boundary conditions of practical importance for planning and guiding actual empirical astrobiological and SETI projects. In addition to showing how the present framework is adaptable to more complex situations and updated observational databases from current and near-future space missions, we demonstrate how numerical results could offer a cautious rationale for continuation of practical SETI searches.Comment: 37 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables; added journal reference belo

Compreensão da espiritualidade para os portadores de transtorno mental: contribuições para o cuidado de enfermagem

Objetivo: Compreender os significados da espiritualidade para o paciente portador de transtorno mental.Método: Pesquisa qualitativa, fenomenológica com nove usuários do Centro de Atenção Psicossocial em um município do interior de Minas Gerais, em fevereiro de 2014.Resultados: Da análise compreensiva, emergiram duas unidades de significado: A espiritualidade é um suporte terapêutico para a saúde mental; O templo religioso é o local de manifestação da espiritualidade. Verificou-se o suporte oferecido pela religião para o enfrentamento dos problemas de saúde dos usuários e que estes expressam sua crença através de orações, além de frequentarem templos religiosos e apresentarem comportamentos que revelam a fé em Deus e nos santos.Conclusão: Há a necessidade de capacitar os profissionais de saúde, em especial o enfermeiro, para que ofereçam novas práticas assistenciais que contemplem o cuidado espiritual/religioso no conjunto de ações integrais que deve ser oferecido nos serviços de Saúde Mental.Palavras-chave: Espiritualidade. Saúde mental. Enfermagem