bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Geographic and Socioeconomic Variation in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Krupski Tracey L. , Kwan Lorna , Afifi Abdelmonem A. , Litwin Mark S. 
Published: October 2005

Purpose Within a framework of quality assessment, primary treatment choice constitutes an indicator of quality of care. This study examines geographic and socioeconomic variation in the primary treatment of men with prostate cancer during the era of prostate-specific antigen testing. Methods Using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results public use data files, we identified men with localized/regional prostate cancer who underwent surgery, radiation therapy, or watchful waiting. We used the year 2000 US Census information to ascribe education and income levels to these men based on their county of residence and ethnicity. Results Among the 96,769 men with localized/regional prostate cancer (during 1995 to 1999) who had sufficient information for analysis, we observed significant geographic variation nationwide in surgical, radiation, and watchful waiting treatment rates (P <.0015). Patterns noted 10 years ago, such as higher surgical rates in western regions, persisted. Ethnicity, income, and grade were all independently associated with primary treatment, or lack thereof. Blacks and low-income patients had the lowest rates of surgery and radiation. Grade was the best predictor of aggressive treatment. Conclusion Nonclinical factors, such as ethnicity and income, were associated with the use of watchful waiting rather than surgery or radiation in men with early-stage prostate cancer. These findings have implications for quality of care.
Determination of the Reaction Rate Constants of Antioxidants with the Hydroxyl Radical by a Rapid-Flow ESR Method
Authors: Ohashi Yasunori , Takeuchi Yuya , Hirama Mutsumi , Yoshioka Hisashi , Yoshioka Hiroe 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
The reaction rate constants of antioxidants with the hydroxyl radical (HO•) were determined by a rapid-flow ESR method. ESR spectra of the antioxidant radical formed by a reaction with HO• generated from the Ti3+ + H2O2 system were measured. When an antioxidant and ethanol were mixed with HO•, a superposed spectrum of the 1-hydroxyethyl radical and antioxidant radical was obtained. The intensity ratio of the signals of these radicals was calculated from the doubly integrated curve, and then the ratio of the reaction-rate constant of the antioxidant with HO• to that of ethanol was obtained. The ratios of pyrogallol, gallic acid, catechol, phloroglucinol, resorcinol, and methanol were 19, 17, 11, 1.5, 1.2, and 0.56, respectively. The dissociation energies of the bonds in antioxidant molecules were obtained by MO calculations, which demonstrated that phenoxy, hydroxymethyl, and 1-hydroxylethyl radicals were formed by the reactions with HO•, as expected from their spectra. The relationship between the relative activation energies obtained from the rate constants and the bond-dissociation energies showed that the Evans–Polanyi equation holds in polyphenol series, but the line was shifted from that of alcohols. This suggested that the structures of the transition state of alcohols were stabilized by a polar effect.
Proton NMR Investigation of the Stoichiometry, Stability, and Exchange Kinetics of Tl+ Complexes with Hexacyclen and Hexamethylhexacyclen in N,N-Dimethylformamide Solutions. Observation of a Three-Site Exchange Process
Authors: Alizadeh Naader , Bordbar Maryam , Shamsipur Mojtaba 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
1H NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the stoichiometry, stability, and exchange kinetics and mechanism of ligand interchange for Tl+ complexes with hexacyclen (HCY) and hexamethylhexacyclen (HMHCY) in dimethylformamide (DMF) solution. In both cases, a stable complex with a 1:1 stoichiometry was formed in solution. A complete line-shape analysis was used to evaluate the mean exchange times and exchange rates. The two-site chemical exchange between Tl+ and HCY proceeded via a dissociative ligand-interchange mechanism in the temperature range 250–310 K. However, the 1H NMR spectra of the Tl+–HMHCY complex system in DMF, in about the same temperature range, revealed the predominance of a three-site exchange process in the system. The type of exchange was dependent on the Tl+/HMHCY mole ratio, ρ. At ρ &lt; 1, ligand exchange occurs via a dissociative mechanism, while at ρ &gt; 1, a bimolecular metal exchange is the predominate mechanism. In this case, the main factors controlling the exchange rates are the conformational rearrangement of the ligand during a concerted partial decomplexation of a Tl+ cation and partial complexation of a second one. The activation parameters (Ea, ΔH‡, ΔS‡, and ΔG‡) for the exchange processes (i.e. the ligand exchange, metal exchange, and the conformational change of the complex) were determined and compared with those for a two-site exchange for the Tl+–HCY system.
Remarkable Enhancement Effect of 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol on the Solubility of Tris(pentane-2,4-dionato)chromium(III) in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide by Outer-Sphere Complexation through Hydrogen Bonding
Authors: Ohashi Akira , Hoshino Hirobumi , Niida Junichi , Imura Hisanori , Ohashi Kousaburo 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
The solubility of tris(pentane-2,4-dionato)chromium(III) (Cr(acac)3) in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) with and without modifiers was investigated by UV–vis spectrophotometry. The influence of some polar and nonpolar modifiers, such as methanol, ethanol, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE), acetone, chloroform, and benzene, was studied by changing the temperature, pressure, and concentration of the modifiers. Alcohols, particularly TFE, demonstrated a large solubility enhancement of Cr(acac)3 among these modifiers. In contrast, acetone having a relatively larger polarity gave a lower enhancement effect than chloroform and benzene. The measurement of the IR absorption spectra of TFE in the presence of Cr(acac)3 in SC-CO2 suggested that a drastic solubility enhancement of Cr(acac)3 upon the addition of TFE could be ascribed to the formation of the stable Cr(acac)3–TFE complex through hydrogen bonding. The association constants of Cr(acac)3 with TFE in SC-CO2 could be determined from the relationship of the solubility enhancement against the TFE concentration.
Cholesterol-Appended β-(1 → 3)-d-Glucan Schizophyllan for Antisense Oligonucleotides Delivery to Enhance the Cellular Uptake
Authors: Koumoto Kazuya , Mizu Masami , Anada Takahisa , Nagasaki Takeshi , Shinkai Seiji , Sakurai Kazuo 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
Schizophyllan is a natural β-(1 → 3)-d-glucan existing as a triple helix in water and as a single chain in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), respectively. As we already reported, when a homo-polynucleotide is added to a schizophyllan solution, the single chain of schizophyllan forms a complex with the polynucleotide. One of the potential applications of this novel complex is an antisense-oligonucleotide (AS ODN) carrier. The present paper describes a modification technique that enables us to introduce a cholesterol group only to the side chain of schizophyllan. We prepared four cholesterol-appended schizophyllans with different modification levels. Using these compounds, we made complexes and carried out an in vitro antisense assay, administrating a phosphorothioate AS ODN to the several cell lines to depress their c-myb mRNA. When we used 2.2–2.3 mol % modified schizophyllan as the carrier, the antisense effect was most enhanced among others. The addition of β-cyclodextrin improved the complexation ability as well as the up-take for highly modified samples. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity for these modified schizophyllan samples was negligibly as small as the natural (unmodified) schizophyllan. The present work has thus clarified that schizophyllan can act as a new potential candidate for AS ODN carriers.
Unique Reactivity of α-Alkoxy Ginkgolide Lactones to Nucleophilic Reagents: Preparation of New Lactol Derivatives
Authors: Tanaka Katsunori , Pimentel Marc , Berova Nina , Nakanishi Koji 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
It has been found that nucleophilic reagents, i.e., NaBH4, Grignard reagents, and alkyl lithium, uniquely react with the α-alkoxy- or acyloxy-lactone moieties in ginkgolide and F-seco-ginkgolides to give rise to lactol derivatives. The reaction is rapid and stops at the lactol stage; the strong coordination of Na, Mg, and Li metals to the conformationally rigid cage structure is involved in both the initiation and termination stages. The NaBH4 reduction of F-seco-ginkgolides gives rise to an equilibrium mixture of α- and β-lactols, the separation of which becomes only possible after acylation by p-phenylbenzoic acid. The resulting acyl-lactol stereogenic centers were elucidated by both NOE and the CD/FDCD exciton chirality method utilizing the sterically hindered 7-hydroxyl. On the other hand, the alkylation of ginkgolide B derivatives proceeds regio- and stereoselectively at the C-11 lactone group, resulting from the approach of Grignard and alkyl lithium reagents to the convex face of the cage-shaped ginkgolide molecule. The additional new stereogenic centers of the quaternary lactol hydroxyls have been determined by NOE. This facile alkylation protocol gives rise to a deep-seated skeletal transformation of ginkgolides, resulting in a new class of ball-shaped heptacyclic ginkgolide derivatives via “olefin/olefin” and “olefin/alkyne” ring-closing metathesis.
Reduction of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives Using Diphenylsilane in the Presence of a Rh–PPh3 Complex
Authors: Ohta Tetsuo , Kamiya Masahiro , Nobutomo Mami , Kusui Keisuke , Furukawa Isao 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
Reductions of carboxylic acid derivatives by silanes in the presence of rhodium complexes were studied. Carboxylic esters were reduced to alcohols by diphenylsilane catalyzed by [RhCl(cod)]2/4PPh3 or [RhCl(PPh3)3] at room temperature in up to 99% yields. For example, ethyl decanoate and ethyl phenylacetate were converted to decanol and 2-phenylethanol in 98 and 92% yields, respectively. Carboxylic acids were also reduced by this reducing system to the corresponding alcohols in high yields. Furthermore, N-monosubstituted amides were reduced to secondary amines in moderate to good yields. For sterically hindered amides, the yields were moderate, and imines were produced in competitive yields.
Thermal-Degradation Process Analysis of Mesoporous Silica in Different Atmospheres
Authors: Zhang Cunman , Liu Qian , Xu Zheng , Wan Keshu 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
The thermal-degradation process of the mesoporous structure in silica MCM-41 was investigated in the present research via a series of thermal-stability experiments in different atmospheres with varied technique analysis (N2-sorption, XRD, IR, and NMR spectra). The research showed that the atmosphere was also a very important factor to affect the thermal stability of mesoporous silica as well as the temperature and time; the oxygen atmosphere obviously accelerated the degradation process of the ordered pore structure in mesoporous silica. We considered that the thermal vibration of atom groups, silanol condensation, and the reconstruction of bridge oxygen bonds between SiO4 tetrahedra in the mesopore wall can be the main causes resulting in the contraction of the inorganic networks and the degradation of the pore structure in mesoporous silica. The oxygen molecule could play an important role during the heat treatment. The oxygen can not only promote silanol condensation, but also make some original bridge oxygen bonds rupture more easily, and then the ruptured units immediately reconstruct more stable bonds with other ruptured units, SiO4, which results in the contraction of inorganic networks and degradation of the mesoporous structure.
Conditioning Prices on Purchase History
Authors: Acquisti Alessandro , Varian Hal R. 
Published: October 2005

The rapid advance in information technology now makes it feasible for sellers to condition their price offers on consumers’ prior purchase behavior. In this paper we examine when it is profitable to engage in this form of price discrimination when consumers can adopt strategies to protect their privacy. Our baseline model involves rational consumers with constant valuations for the goods being sold and a monopoly merchant who can commit to a pricing policy. Applying results from the prior literature, we show that although it is feasible to price so as to distinguish high-value and low-value consumers, the merchant will never find it optimal to do so. We then consider various generalizations of this model, such as allowing the seller to offer enhanced services to previous customers, making the merchant unable to commit to a pricing policy, and allowing competition in the marketplace. In these cases we show that sellers will, in general, find it profitable to condition prices on purchase history.
The 2004 ISMS Practice Prize Winner—Sales Territory Design: Thirty Years of Modeling and Implementation
Authors: Zoltners Andris A. , Sinha Prabhakant 
Published: October 2005

Sales territory alignment is the assignment of accounts and their associated selling activities to salespeople and teams. Models, systems, processes, and wisdom have evolved over 1,500 project implementations for 500 companies with 500,000 sales territories. Optimization models have evolved over time to explicitly consider travel time along road networks and customer disruption. Personal computers with continually increasing speeds and storage capabilities, the Internet, and mapping databases have enabled the development of systems that communicate alignments visually to sales managers. Because of their combinatorial complexity, multiple conflicting objectives, and personnel aspects that touch everyone in the salesforce, the alignment models were unable to completely solve the sales territory alignment issues faced by companies. Consequently, processes that add local managerial knowledge were used to communicate and enhance model-derived solutions, while achieving very high implementation rates. The territory alignment team gains knowledge with every sales territory alignment. Alignment insights get codified. Alignment experts improve every model-derived solution. This wisdom becomes part of subsequent alignments and triggers further innovation. Over time, the role of processes and wisdom becomes larger than the role of the models and systems.
SER-7, aCaenorhabditis elegans5-HT7-like Receptor, Is Essential for the 5-HT Stimulation of Pharyngeal Pumping and Egg Laying
Authors: Hobson Robert J , Hapiak Vera M , Xiao Hong , Buehrer Kara L , Komuniecki Patricia R , Komuniecki Richard W 
Published: October 2005

AbstractSerotonin (5-HT) stimulates both pharyngeal pumping and egg laying in Caenorhabditis elegans. Four distinct 5-HT receptors have been partially characterized, but little is known about their function in vivo. SER-7 exhibits most sequence identity to the mammalian 5-HT7 receptors and couples to a stimulation of adenyl cyclase when expressed in COS-7 cells. However, many 5-HT7-specific agonists have low affinity for SER-7. 5-HT fails to stimulate pharyngeal pumping and the firing of the MC motorneurons in animals containing the putative ser-7(tm1325) and ser-7(tm1728) null alleles. In addition, although pumping on bacteria is upregulated in ser-7(tm1325) animals, pumping is more irregular. A similar failure to maintain “fast pumping” on bacteria also was observed in ser-1(ok345) and tph-1(mg280) animals that contain putative null alleles of a 5-HT2-like receptor and tryptophan hydroxylase, respectively, suggesting that serotonergic signaling, although not essential for the upregulation of pumping on bacteria, “fine tunes” the process. 5-HT also fails to stimulate egg laying in ser-7(tm1325), ser-1(ok345), and ser-7(tm1325) ser-1(ok345) animals, but only the ser-7 ser-1 double mutants exhibit an Egl phenotype. All of the SER-7 mutant phenotypes are rescued by the expression of full-length ser-7∷gfp translational fusions. ser-7∷gfp is expressed in several pharyngeal neurons, including the MC, M2, M3, M4, and M5, and in vulval muscle. Interestingly, 5-HT inhibits egg laying and pharyngeal pumping in ser-7 null mutants and the 5-HT inhibition of egg laying, but not pumping, is abolished in ser-7(tm1325);ser-4(ok512) double mutants. Taken together, these results suggest that SER-7 is essential for the 5-HT stimulation of both egg laying and pharyngeal pumping, but that other signaling pathways can probably fulfill similar roles in vivo.
Triglyceride Pools, Flight and Activity Variation at the Gpdh Locus in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Merritt Thomas J S , Sezgin Efe , Zhu Chen-Tseh , Eanes Walter F 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
We have created a set of P-element excision-derived Gpdh alleles that generate a range of GPDH activity phenotypes ranging from zero to full activity. By placing these synthetic alleles in isogenic backgrounds, we characterize the effects of minor and major activity variation on two different aspects of Gpdh function: the standing triglyceride pool and glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle-assisted flight. We observe small but statistically significant reductions in triglyceride content for adult Gpdh genotypes possessing 33–80% reductions from normal activity. These small differences scale to a notable proportion of the observed genetic variation in triglyceride content in natural populations. Using a tethered fly assay to assess flight metabolism, we observed that genotypes with 100 and 66% activity exhibited no significant difference in wing-beat frequency (WBF), while activity reductions from 60 to 10% showed statistically significant reductions of ∼7% in WBF. These studies show that the molecular polymorphism associated with GPDH activity could be maintained in natural populations by selection in the triglyceride pool.
Pleiotropic Effects of the Duplicate Maize FLORICAULA/LEAFY Genes zfl1 and zfl2 on Traits Under Selection During Maize Domestication
Authors: Bomblies Kirsten , Doebley John F 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
Phenotypic variation on which selection can act during evolution may be caused by variation in activity level of developmental regulatory genes. In many cases, however, such genes affect multiple traits. This situation can lead to co-evolution of traits, or evolutionary constraint if some pleiotropic effects are detrimental. Here, we present an analysis of quantitative traits associated with gene copy number of two important maize regulatory genes, the duplicate FLORICAULA/LEAFY orthologs zfl1 and zfl2. We found statistically significant associations between several quantitative traits and copy number of both zfl genes in several maize genetic backgrounds. Despite overlap in traits associated with these duplicate genes, zfl1 showed stronger associations with flowering time, while zfl2 associated more strongly with branching and inflorescence structure traits, suggesting some divergence of function. Since zfl2 associates with quantitative variation for ear rank and also maps near a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 2 controlling ear rank differences between maize and teosinte, we tested whether zfl2 might have been involved in the evolution of this trait using a QTL complementation test. The results suggest that zfl2 activity is important for the QTL effect, supporting zfl2 as a candidate gene for a role in morphological evolution of maize.
A Novel Murine Gene, Sickle tail, Linked to the Danforth's short tail Locus, Is Required for Normal Development of the Intervertebral Disc
Authors: Semba Kei , Araki Kimi , Li Zhengzhe , Matsumoto Ken-ichirou , Suzuki Misao , Nakagata Naoki , Takagi Katsumasa , Takeya Motohiro , Yoshinobu Kumiko , Araki Masatake , Imai Kenji , Abe Kuniya , Yamamura Ken-ichi 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
We established the mutant mouse line, B6;CB-SktGtAyu8021IMEG (SktGt), through gene-trap mutagenesis in embryonic stem cells. The novel gene identified, called Sickle tail (Skt), is composed of 19 exons and encodes a protein of 1352 amino acids. Expression of a reporter gene was detected in the notochord during embryogenesis and in the nucleus pulposus of mice. Compression of some of the nuclei pulposi in the intervertebral discs (IVDs) appeared at embryonic day (E) 17.5, resulting in a kinky-tail phenotype showing defects in the nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus of IVDs in SktGt/Gt mice. These phenotypes were different from those in Danforth's short tail (Sd) mice in which the nucleus pulposus was totally absent and replaced by peripheral fibers similar to those seen in the annulus fibrosus in all IVDs. The Skt gene maps to the proximal part of mouse chromosome 2, near the Sd locus. The genetic distance between them was 0.95 cM. The number of vertebrae in both [Sd +/+ SktGt] and [Sd SktGt/+ +] compound heterozygotes was less than that of Sd heterozygotes. Furthermore, the enhancer trap locus Etl4lacZ, which was previously reported to be an allele of Sd, was located in the third intron of the Skt gene.
Genomic Survey of Gene Expression Diversity inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Kliebenstein Daniel J , West Marilyn A L , van Leeuwen Hans , Kim Kyunga , Doerge R W , Michelmore Richard W , St. Clair Dina A 
Published: October 2005

AbstractDifferential gene expression controls variation in numerous plant traits, such as flowering time and plant/pest interactions, but little is known about the genomic distribution of the determinants of transcript levels and their associated variation. Affymetrix ATH1 GeneChip microarrays representing 22,810 genes were used to survey the transcriptome of seven Arabidopsis thaliana accessions in the presence and absence of exogenously applied salicylic acid (SA). These accessions encompassed ∼80% of the moderate- to high-frequency nucleotide polymorphisms in Arabidopsis. A factorial design, consisting of three biological replicates per accession for the two treatments at three time points (4, 28, and 52 hr post-treatment), and a total of 126 microarrays were used. Between any pair of Arabidopsis accessions, we detected on average 2234 genes (ranging from 1428 to 3334) that were significantly differentially expressed under the conditions of this experiment, using a split-plot analysis of variance. Upward of 6433 genes were differentially expressed between at least one pair of accessions. These results suggest that analysis of additional genetic, developmental, and environmental conditions may show that a significant fraction of the Arabidopsis genome is differentially expressed. Examination of sequence diversity demonstrated a significant positive association with diversity in gene expression.