1,721,123 research outputs found

    Massey Products and Fujita decompositions on fibrations of curves

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    Let f: S→ B be a fibration of curves and let f∗ωS/B= U⊕ A be the second Fujita decomposition of f. In this paper we study a kind of Massey products, which are defined as infinitesimal invariants by the cohomology of a curve, in relation to the monodromy of certain subbundles of U. The main result states that their vanishing on a general fibre of f implies that the monodromy group acts faithfully on a finite set of morphisms and is therefore finite. In the last part we apply our result in terms of the normal function induced by the Ceresa cycle. On the one hand, we prove that the monodromy group of the whole U of hyperelliptic fibrations is finite (giving another proof of a result due to Luo and Zuo). On the other hand, we show that the normal function is non torsion if the monodromy is infinite (this happens e.g. in the examples shown by Catanese and Dettweiler)

    Rigidity of modular morphisms via Fujita decomposition

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    We prove that the Torelli, Prym and spin-Torelli morphisms, as well as covering maps between moduli stacks of smooth projective curves, cannot be deformed. The proofs use properties of the Fujita decomposition of the Hodge bundle of families of curves

    Dystrophin and mutations: One gene, several proteins, multiple phenotypes

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    A large and complex gene on the X chromosome encodes dystrophin. Many mutations have been described in this gene, most of which affect the expression of the muscle isoform, the best-known protein product of this locus. These mutations result in the Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD and BMD). However, there are several other tissue specific isoforms of dystrophin, some exclusively or predominantly expressed in the brain or the retina. Mutations affecting the correct expression of these tissue-specific isoforms have been associated with the CNS involvement common in DMD. Rare mutations also account for the allelic disorder X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy, in which dystrophin expression or function is affected mostly or exclusively in the heart. Genotype definition of the dystrophin gene in patients with dystrophinopathies has taught us much about functionally important domains of the protein itself and has provided insights into several regulatory mechanisms governing the gene expression profile. Here, we focus on current understanding of the genotype–phenotype relation for mutations in the dystrophin gene and their implications for gene functions

    Muscarinic receptor subclasses in retinal cultures: effect of corticosterone.

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    We have previously shown that exogenously administered corticosterone affects muscarinic receptor binding in the chick embryo retina. Analysis with the selective antagonist pirenzepine has shown that both muscarinic receptor subclasses M1 and M2 are present in treated retinas. On the contrary, only M2 is detectable in controls. Moreover, receptor affinity for agonists is modified by hormone treatment. Since these studies did not show whether or not the hormone directly influences retinal cells, a similar study was performed on retinal tissue cultures. Cells were treated at day 5 in vitro for 24 hr with 1.10(-8) M corticosterone. Scatchard analysis of results obtained with 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate (3H-QNB) binding showed no difference between treated and control cultures. However, displacement experiments demonstrated that both M1 and M2 were present in treated cultures, whereas controls had only M2. Also, receptor affinity for the agonist carbachol was modified, as already observed with in vivo studies. In addition, a new phenomenon was observed: treated cultures had a significantly higher number of cells. The possibility that the hormone can prevent cell death or stimulate cell mitosis is considered

    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

    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
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