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    Identification of non-flagellar genes involved in swarm cell differentiation using a Bacillus thuringiensis mini-Tn10 mutant library

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    Swarming is a social phenomenon that enables motile bacteria to move co-ordinately over solid surfaces. The molecular basis regulating this process is not completely known and may vary among species. Insertional mutagenesis of a swarming-proficient Bacillus thuringiensis strain was performed, by use of the transposon mini-Tn10, to identify novel genetic determinants of swarming that are dispensable for flagellation, swimming motility, chemotaxis and active growth. Among the 67 non-swarming mutants obtained, six were selected that showed no defect in flagellar assembly and function, chemotaxis or growth rate. Sequence analysis of DNA flanking the transposon insertion led to the identification of previously uncharacterized genes that are involved in the development of swarming colonies by B. thuringiensis and that are highly conserved in all members of the Bacillus cereus sensu lato group. These genes encode non-flagellar proteins with putative activity as sarcosine oxidase, catalase-2, amino acid permease, ATP-binding cassette transporter, dGTP triphosphohydrolase and acetyltransferase. Functional analysis of two of the isolated mutants demonstrated that swarming differentiation depends on the intracellular levels of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine and on the quantity of synthesized phenazine secondary metabolites. The finding that proteins involved in diverse physiological processes have a role in swarming motility underlines the complexity of the molecular mechanisms governing this behaviour in B. thuringiensis

    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

    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
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