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    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

    Determination of solution conformations of PrP106-126, a neurotoxic fragment of prion protein, by 1H NMR and restrained molecular dynamics

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    Experimental two-dimensional 1H NMR data have been obtained for PrP106-128 under the following solvent conditions: deionized water/2, 2,2-trifluoroethanol 50 : 50 (v/v) and dimethylsulfoxide. These data were analyzed by restrained molecular mechanics calculations to determine how changes in solvation affect the conformation of the peptide. In deionized water at pH 3.5, the peptide adopted a helical conformation in the hydrophobic region spanning residues Met112-Leu125, with the most populated helical region corresponding to the Ala115-Ala119 segment ( approximately 10%). In trifluoroethanol/H2O, the alpha-helix increased in population especially in the Gly119-Val122 tract ( approximately 25%). The conformation of this region was found to be remarkably sensitive to pH, as the Ala120-Gly124 tract shifted to an extended conformation at pH 7. In dimethylsulfoxide, the hydrophobic cluster adopted a prevalently extended conformation. For all tested solvents the region spanning residues Asn108-Met112 was present in a 'turn-like' conformation and included His111, situated just before the starting point of the alpha-helix. Rather than by conformational changes, the effect of His111 is exerted by changes in its hydrophobicity, triggering aggregation. The amphiphilic properties and the pH-dependent ionizable side-chain of His111 may thus be important for the modulation of the conformational mobility and heterogeneity of PrP106-126

    Minimal laboratory investigation of uremic patients.

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    The laboratory investigation of uremic patients is often overly enthusiastic, and information obtained is not always acceptable in terms of cost benefit. As an alternative, we suggest that the functional performance of the individual is important, and, in our experience, assessment of muscle strength is suitable for this purpose. Other parameters, such as monitoring for HBV, deserve attention in clinical practice. The role of aluminium in the pathogenesis of degenerative disease will be better elucidated in the future, in spite of difficulties in undertaking routine aluminium determinations. However, aluminium intoxication may not be the only agonist of iatrogenic intoxication; other trace metals could be equally responsible
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