bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Smokers' expectations to quit smoking
Authors: Hammar Henrik , Carlsson Fredrik 
Published: August 2004

AbstractWe investigate the effectiveness of different smoking policies on smokers' expectations to quit smoking using a choice experiment on a sample of smokers identified within the World Health Organization (WHO) MONICA Project. Our results indicate that restricted availability, increased cigarette prices, cessation subsidies and regulations at restaurants, bars and cafés increase the expected probability of smoking cessation. Regulations at work places do not seem to have any effect. The results also show the significant role of limited self‐control; smokers who have the intent to quit smoking are more likely to quit smoking if a stricter regulation is implemented. Further, smokers who have received advice from their children to quit smoking or who perceive the health risks as considerable, are more likely to expect to quit smoking. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Measuring the productive efficiency and clinical quality of institutional long‐term care for the elderly
Authors: Laine Juha , Linna Miika , Häkkinen Unto , Noro Anja 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe authors consider the association between productive efficiency and clinical quality in institutional long‐term care for the elderly. Cross‐sectional data were collected from 122 wards in health‐centre hospitals and residential homes in Finland in 2001. Productive efficiency was measured in terms of technical efficiency, which was defined as the unit's distance from the (best practice) production frontier. The analysis employed stochastic production frontier estimation, where technical inefficiency in the production function was specified to be a function of ward characteristics and clinical quality of care. Several quality indicators based on the Resident Assessment Instrument, such as prevalence of pressure ulcers and depression with no treatment, were used in the analysis. The results did not reveal systematic association between technical efficiency and clinical quality of care. However, the prevalence of pressure ulcers, indicating poor quality of care was associated with technical efficiency, a fact which highlights the importance of including quality measures in the assessment of efficiency in long‐term care. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influences of the absence of random assignment of bids on estimating willingness to pay using a discrete‐choice question
Authors: Takemura Shinji , Ohida Takashi , Sone Tomofumi , Fukuda Takashi , Takemura Yukie 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThis study examined the influences of the interaction between a bid and the respondent's characteristics due to insufficient random assignment of bids on the estimation of willingness to pay (WTP) using data from a discrete‐choice question. A contingent valuation survey of 152 examinees undergoing X‐ray testing for gastric cancer screening was conducted, and the median and mean WTP for the serum pepsinogen test were estimated using a logistic regression model to which the interaction terms between the bid and the respondent's characteristics, which included gender, age, annual income, frequency of prior use of a gastric cancer screening program, and perceived health, were added. There were remarkable differences in the estimated WTP according to whether the interaction term of annual income, to which the bids had failed to be assigned randomly and which had been positively correlated with the bid, was added in the model. It is suggested that it may be necessary to check if the bids were randomly assigned to the respondent's characteristics and, when correlations with the bid are found, to adjust their interaction effects. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of the tobacco settlement and smoking bans on alcohol consumption
Authors: Picone Gabriel A. , Sloan Frank , Trogdon Justin G. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractIn the last few years, the price of cigarettes has increased considerably in the USA. In addition, a number of states have also imposed smoking bans. These increases in the cost and barriers to smoking have created a natural experiment to study relationships between smoking and drinking behaviors. In this study, we employ data from the first six waves of the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) to analyze the effects of smoking bans and cigarette prices on alcohol consumption. We also test if past cigarette and alcohol consumption affect current alcohol consumption as predicted by co‐addiction models. We estimate dynamic panel models using GMM estimators. Our approach allows us to obtain consistent estimates irrespective of the number of time periods. The three main findings of this study are: (1) there is positive reinforcement effect of past cigarette consumption on current alcohol consumption, (2) smoking bans reduce alcohol consumption and (3) there is a positive effect of cigarette prices on alcohol consumption. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tobacco initiation, cessation, and change: evidence from Vietnam
Authors: Laxminarayan Ramanan , Deolalikar Anil 
Published: August 2004

AbstractStudies of the impact of tobacco prices on decisions to initiate and quit smoking have, to date, largely been restricted to developed countries. Such analyses, when set in developing countries, are complicated by the availability of a wide range of tobacco products that are nicotine substitutes for cigarettes. This study, which uses data from two rounds of the Vietnam Living Standards Survey in 1992–1993 and 1997–1998, finds evidence of substitution among tobacco products in response to changes in relative prices and points to the need for comprehensive tobacco‐control strategies that are not restricted to cigarettes alone. We find that higher cigarette prices may not necessarily encourage quitting and may only divert cigarette smokers to rustic tobacco, which is potentially as harmful to human health as cigarettes. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accounting for misclassification error in retrospective smoking data
Authors: Kenkel Donald S. , Lillard Dean R. , Mathios Alan D. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractRecent waves of major longitudinal surveys in the US and other countries include retrospective questions about the timing of smoking initiation and cessation, creating a potentially important but under‐utilized source of information on smoking behavior over the life course. In this paper, we explore the extent of, consequences of, and possible solutions to misclassification errors in models of smoking participation that use data generated from retrospective reports. In our empirical work, we exploit the fact that the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 provides both contemporaneous and retrospective information about smoking status in certain years. We compare the results from four sets of models of smoking participation. The first set of results are from baseline probit models of smoking participation from contemporaneously reported information. The second set of results are from models that are identical except that the dependent variable is based on retrospective information. The last two sets of results are from models that take a parametric approach to account for a simple form of misclassification error. Our preliminary results suggest that accounting for misclassification error is important. However, the adjusted maximum likelihood estimation approach to account for misclassification does not always perform as expected. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bacteriophage Ø29 protein p6: an architectural protein involved in genome organization, replication and control of transcription
Authors: González‐Huici Víctor , Alcorlo Martín , Salas Margarita , Hermoso José M. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractProtein p6 of B. subtilis bacteriophage Ø29 binds to DNA forming a nucleoprotein complex in which the DNA wraps a protein core forming a right‐handed superhelix, therefore restraining positive supercoiling and compacting the DNA. The protein does not specifically recognize a nucleotide sequence but rather a structural feature and it binds as a dimer through the minor groove. Protein p6 is in a monomer–dimer equilibrium that shifts to higher‐order structures at a concentration of about 1 mM. These structures are probably present in vivo as the intracellular concentration of p6 is estimated to be in this range, and in fact the effective concentration should be still higher due to the macromolecular crowding. The p6 oligomers show an elongated shape compatible with a helical structure reminiscent of the superhelical DNA of the nucleoprotein complex, therefore it was proposed that protein p6 forms a scaffold on which the DNA folds. Since protein p6 is very abundant in infected cells, enough to bind the entire viral progeny, it was proposed to have an architectural role organizing and compacting the viral genome. It has been demonstrated that protein p6 binds in vivo to most, if not all, the Ø29 genome, although with different affinity, the highest one corresponding to the genome ends. Binding to plasmidic DNA was much lower, although it increased dramatically when the negative superhelicity was decreased. Hence, protein p6 binding specificity for Ø29 DNA is based on supercoiling, providing that the Ø29 genome, although topologically constrained, has a negative superhelicity lower than that of plasmid DNA. The formation of the nucleoprotein complex has functional implications in DNA replication and the control of transcription. It activates the initiation of replication that occurs at the genome ends for which the binding affinity is highest. It represses early transcription from promoter C2, and, together with protein p4, it represses transcription from promoters A2b and A2c and activates late transcription from promoter A3; therefore, protein p6 is involved in the early to late transcription switch. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crowding‐induced organization in cells: spontaneous alignment and sorting of filaments with physiological control points
Authors: Herzfeld Judith 
Published: August 2004

AbstractUnder sufficiently crowded conditions, elongated particles spontaneously align along a common axis and separate from particles with dissimilar packing parameters. Clarifying the relevance of these entropy‐driven phenomena to intact cells has required the development of theoretical approaches that tractably take into account daunting physiological complexities including the extreme crowding of the cytosol, the complex mixture of macromolecules present, the process of filament self‐assembly, and the characteristic widths, flexibilities and charges of filaments formed by different proteins. This review summarizes the approaches taken, including their validation by observations of simpler systems, and the insights that have been gained into the means by which cells can modulate and capitalize upon spontaneous ordering. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Studies of effects of macromolecular crowding and confinement on protein folding and protein stability
Authors: Ping Guanghui , Yuan Jian‐Min , Sun Zhengfei , Wei Yen 
Published: August 2004

AbstractIn cells, proteins execute specific tasks in crowded environments; these environments influence their stability and dynamics. Similarly, for an enzyme molecule encapsulated in an inorganic cavity as in biosensors or biocatalysts, confinement or excluded volume plays an important role in its stability and dynamics. In this article we present results of our experimental and theoretical investigations of the confinement and macromolecular crowding effects on protein. On the experimental side we study the stability of encapsulated cytochrome c against unfolding induced by the presence of denaturants, such as urea. Results show that, as the pore size in which protein is trapped is reduced, protein shows higher stability against denaturant‐induced unfolding. On the theoretical side, after reviewing our previous study of the confinement effects on the equilibrium and dynamic properties of protein using a minimalist (two‐dimensional lattice, Monte Carlo, Brownian dynamics) model, we have extended the model so that the effects of macromolecular crowding on such properties can be studied. Our simulations show that both folding and unfolding times increase with the number of crowders in solution, however, the equilibrium constant is affected such that the equilibrium is shifted towards the folded state. Furthermore, our results show that, for a fixed number of crowders as the size of crowder (or excluded volume) increases, the average size of protein at equilibrium decreases. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Protein folding and binding in confined spaces and in crowded solutions
Authors: Zhou Huan‐Xiang 
Published: August 2004

AbstractSimple theoretical models are presented to illustrate the effects of spatial confinement and macromolecular crowding on the equilibria and rates of protein folding and binding. Confinement is expected to significantly stabilize the folded state, but for crowding only a marginal effect on protein stability is expected. In confinement the unfolded chain is restricted to a cage but in crowding the unfolded chain may explore different interstitial voids. Because confinement and crowding eliminate the more expanded conformations of the unfolded state, folding from the compact unfolded state is expected to speed up. Crowding will shift the binding equilibrium of proteins toward the bound state. The significant slowing down in protein diffusion by crowding, perhaps beneficial for chaperonin action, could result in a decrease in protein binding rates. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mitogen‐activated protein kinase mediates purinergic‐enhanced nerve growth factor‐induced neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells
Authors: Behrsing Holger Peter , Vulliet P. Richard 
Published: August 2004

AbstractIn 1999, we reported new observations that several compounds, including ATP, enhance neurite expression in PC12 cells when coapplied with nerve growth factor (NGF). Because purinergic and NGF signaling have several potential interfaces in PC12 cells, a series of experiments was conducted to elucidate the signal mediators contributing to the enhancement. Activities of selected kinases were measured and Western blots evaluated mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) active and nonactive isoforms in lysates of the treated PC12 cells. In terms of purinergic potency, ATP and β,γ‐methylene ATP elicited the greatest neurite‐enhancing effect, whereas adenosine and α,β‐methylene ATP elicited the smallest. The effectiveness of a nonhydrolyzable analog such as β,γ‐methylene ATP indicates that a nonmetabolic process is responsible. In response to ATP, NGF, or NGF + ATP, MAPK activity (measured by 32P incorporation) was maximal within 2 hr and remained statistically elevated over control levels throughout the 24 hr monitored. At maximal 32P incorporation, MAPK activity in response to ATP, NGF, and NGF + ATP was two‐, four‐, and sixfold higher, respectively, than control values; the observed increase was qualitatively confirmed using Western blots. Short‐term inhibition experiments with protein kinase C and MAPK indicated that MAPK transduces the enhancing signal. We conclude from these experiments that ATP coapplied with NGF increases PC12 neurite expression by elevation of MAPK activity, likely by P2 receptor activation, and suggest that combination therapies with NGF and its enhancing adjunct compounds may be plausible for certain degenerative neurological disorders. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A kinetic and product study of reaction of chlorine atom with CH3CH2OD
Authors: Crawford Mary A. , Li Zhuangjie , Heuerman Heidi A. , Kinscherff Douglas 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe reaction of atomic chlorine with CH3CH2OD has been examined using a discharge fast flow system coupled to a mass spectrometer combined with the relative rate method (RR/DF/MS). At 298 ± 2 K, the rate constant for the Cl + CH3CH2OD reaction was determined using cyclohexane as a reference and found to be k3 = (1.13 ± 0.21) × 10−10 cm3 molecule−1 s−1. Mass spectral studies of the reaction products resulted in yields greater than 97% for the combined hydrogen abstraction at the α and β sites (3a + 3b) and less than 3% at the hydroxyl site (3c). As a calibration of the apparatus and the RR/DF/MS technique, the rate constant of the Cl + CH3CH2OH reaction was also determined using cyclohexane as the reference, and a value of k2 = (1.05 ± 0.07) × 10−10 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 was obtained at 298 ± 2 K, which was in excellent agreement with the value given in current literature. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 584–590, 2004
Rate coefficients for the gas‐phase reaction of NO3radicals with selected dihydroxybenzenes
Authors: Olariu R. I. , Bejan I. , Barnes I. , Klotz B. , Becker K. H. , Wirtz K. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractUsing a relative kinetic technique, rate coefficients have been determined at (298 ± 2) K and atmospheric pressure for the gas‐phase reactions of the NO3radical with three vicinal dihydroxy aromatic compounds. The experiments were carried out in a 1080‐l quartz glass reactor at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal and in the European Photoreactor (EUPHORE), Valencia, Spain. The rate coefficients obtained (in units of cm3molecule−1s−1) using 2,3‐dimethyl‐2‐butene as the reference hydrocarbon werekNO3(1,2‐dihydroxybenzene) = (9.8 ± 5.0) × 10−11,kNO3(1,2‐dihydroxy‐3‐methylbenzene) = (17.2 ± 5.6) × 10−11, andkNO3(1,2‐ dihydroxy‐4‐methylbenzene) = (14.7 ± 6.5) × 10−11. This study represents the first kinetic investigation of the reactions of the NO3radical with dihydroxybenzenes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 577–583, 2004
Kinetics and mechanism of the hydrolytic disproportionation of iodine
Authors: Sebők‐Nagy Krisztina , Körtvélyesi Tamás 
Published: August 2004

AbstractKinetics of the hydrolytic disproportionation of I2

equation image

was studied by UV–VIS spectrophotometry at 298 K and at the ionic strength 0.2 M (NaClO4) in buffered solutions in the pH range 8.91–10.50 at different initial iodide concentrations. The characterization of this reaction is fundamental for modeling oscillatory and front reactions in the presence of iodine as reactant or intermediate as well as for drinking water treatment. A matrix rank analysis confirmed three absorbing species in the beginning of the reaction, whereas later assumption of two species is enough to describe the experimental data in the visible part of the spectrum. A reaction mechanism was proposed for disproportionation by using fitting/simulation with a multipurpose program package ZiTa, by simultaneous evaluation of 17,906 points in 79 experimental curves. A parameter set was suggested, which was obtained by absolute, relative, and orthogonal fittings of the experimental data. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 596–602, 2004
Front Cover: Macromol. Biosci. 9/2004
Authors: López‐Franco Yolanda L. , Valdez Miguel A. , Hernández Javier , Calderón de la Barca Ana M. , Rinaudo Marguerite , Goycoolea Francisco M. 
Published: August 2004

Front Cover: The photograph shows the main trunk of a Prosopis velutina tree bearing vitrified nodules of mesquite gum at the bark, a common phenomenon during springtime in the Desert of Sonora. The left top figure displays hydrophobic chromatography elution patterns of mesquite gum and gum arabic. Mesquite gum has been considered a potential substitute of gum arabic. The bottom figure shows Langmuir isotherms of whole and individual mesquite gum fractions of varying hydrophobicity forming monolayer films at the air/water interface.Further details can be found in the Full Paper by Y. L. López‐Franco, M. A. Valdez,* J. Hernández, A. M. Calderón de la Barca, M. Rinaudo, and F. M. Goycoolea on page 865.
Hallucinations in Parkinson's disease: A follow‐up study
Authors: Doé de Maindreville Anne , Fénelon Gilles , Mahieux Florence 
Published: August 2004

AbstractTo study prevalence of hallucinations in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) during a 1‐year period, and identify factors predictive of the onset of hallucinations in patients who were hallucination‐free at baseline, 141 unselected outpatients with PD were evaluated prospectively for a set of demographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables and the presence of hallucinations during the previous 3 months. Patient groups were compared with nonparametric tests, and logistic regression was applied to significant data. Follow‐up data were available for 127 patients. The hallucination prevalence rates (%) at the first and second evaluation were, respectively, 41.7 and 49.6 for hallucinations of all types (NS), 29.1 and 40.2 for minor hallucinations (i.e., presence or passage hallucinations, and illusions) (P = 0.02), 22.8 and 21.2 for formed visual hallucinations (NS), and 8.7 and 8.7 for auditory hallucinations (NS). Hallucinations rarely started or ceased during the study. The most labile forms were minor hallucinations, which developed in 20% of patients and ceased in 9%. During follow‐up, 15% of patients started to hallucinate. Three factors, all present at the first evaluation, independently predicted the onset of hallucinations in patients previously free of hallucinations at baseline (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval): severe sleep disturbances (14.3; 2.5–80.9), ocular disorders (9.1; 1.6–52.0), and a high axial motor score (5.7; 1.2–27.4). Hallucinations have a chronic course in most parkinsonian patients. Factors predicting the onset of hallucinations point to a role of extranigral brainstem involvement and a nonspecific, facilitating role of ocular disorders. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
The absolute sign of J coupling constants determined using the order matrix calculation
Authors: Yan Jiangli , Kline Allen D. , Mo Huaping , Shapiro Michael J. , Zartler Edward R. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractA novel methodology using the order matrix calculation to determine the absolute sign of spin–spin couplings based on the structure of organic compounds is presented. The sign of the residual dipolar coupling (RDC) depends on the sign of corresponding scalar spin–spin coupling constant and the sign of the RDC has a dramatic influence on the order matrix calculation. Therefore, the sign of the spin–spin coupling constant can be obtained by an order matrix calculation through the corresponding RDC. Six types of spin–spin coupling constants, including 2J(H,H), 1J(C,F), 2J(C,F), 3J(C,F), 2J(F,H) and 3J(F,H), were obtained simultaneously. Except for 3J(C,F) where the measured RDCs have very small magnitudes, the signs were determined unambiguously. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Complete assignment of 19F, 1H and 13C NMR spectra of monomers and precursors towards bridge trifluoromethylated poly(p‐phenylenevinylene)
Authors: Roche Alex J. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe complete assignment of 19F, 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 11 trifluoromethylated and four bistrifluoromethylated monomers for bridge trifluoromethylated poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) is described. The combination of one‐dimensional 19F, 1H and 13C spectra, long‐range fluorine couplings and the two‐dimensional techniques of direct and long‐range HETCOR (J = 140 and 8 Hz) permitted full resonance assignment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crosslinkable propyleneimine pressure‐sensitive adhesive acrylates and their pot life
Authors: Czech Zbigniew 
Published: August 2004

AbstractIn this article a new generation of crosslinkers based on multifunctional propyleneimine derivatives involving crosslinking reactions of acrylic pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSAs) were investigated. Their tack, peel adhesion, and shear strength after crosslinking, as well as their viscosity and pot life were also measured. Crosslinking of PSAs is an established technology used in many industrial manufacturing processes. Their novel applications and technical specifications stimulate continuous research and development into new crosslinkers with very interesting characteristics. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.