1,721,322 research outputs found

    On the existence of a global molecular network enmeshing the whole central nervous system: Physiological and pathological implications

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    Proteins are endowed with the Lego property, i.e., the capability of steric fitting with other proteins to form high molecular weight complexes with emergent functions. These interactions may occur both as horizontal molecular networks at the plasma membrane level and as vertical molecular networks, i.e., towards the extra- and/or intracellular side of the cell. The present paper broadens this view by proposing the existence of three dimensional molecular networks, mainly made by proteins and carbohydrates, which might interact with each other at boundaries of compartments such as plasma membranes to form a global molecular network (GMN) that pervades the intra- as well as the extra-cellular environment of the entire central nervous system. The GMN is a potentially plastic structure regulated through several means. For example, its extra-cellular part is under the remodeling action of the matrix metalloproteinases. The proposal of a GM has physiological and pathological implications. In primis, classical synaptic transmission, gap junctions and volume transmission signals by modulating GMN could importantly contribute to the binding phenomenon, i.e. the phase synchronization of firing rates in far-located neuronal cortical groups. Secondly, alterations in protein conformation could alter the GMN organization and hence the neuronal network morphology and function. This could lead to the formation of abnormal protein aggregates such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which, in turn, might affect the GMN function and/or the reciprocal interactions between its parts especially at the boundaries between compartments

    L-deprenyl increases GFAP immunoreactivity selectively in activated astrocytes in rat brain

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    L-DEPRENYL is a selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase (MAO) B, an enzyme predominantly localized in astrocytes. We have investigated the effect of treatment with L-deprenyl (0.25 mg kg-1 day-1) on glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity (IR) after lesioning the rat striatum with an injection cannula. No effect of drug treatment on GFAP IR was found in unlesioned striata. A significant increase (p < 0.01 vs saline treated rats) in GFAP IR was found in the tissue surrounding the lesion in striata of rats treated with L-deprenyl for 4 days after the lesion. When post-treated for 42 days, however, L-deprenyl no longer increased GFAP IR although reactive astrocytes were still present in the lesioned area. These results suggest that L-deprenyl can enhance the activation of astrocytes during a critical time-period following a striatal injury

    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

    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
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