bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The new labor market: Immigrants and wages after IRCA
Authors: Phillips Julie A. , Massey Douglas S.
Published: March 2007

We examine the effect of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) on migrants ’ wages using data gathered in 39 Mexican communities and their U.S. destination areas. We examine changes in the determinants of wages before and after the passage of IRCA, as well as the effects of its massive legalization program. Migrants ’ wages deteriorated steadily between 1970 and 1995, but IRCA did not foment discrimination against Mexican workers per se. Rather, it appears to have encouraged greater discrimination against undocumented migrants, with employers passing the costs and risks of unauthorized hiring on to the workers. Although available data do not permit us to eliminate competing explanations entirely, limited controls suggest that the post-IRCA wage penalty against undocumented migrants did not stem from an expansion of the immigrant labor supply, an increase in the use of labor subcontracting, or a deterioration of the U.S. labor market.
The impact of war, famine, and economic decline on marital fertility in ethiopia
Authors: Lindstrom David P. , Berhanu Betemariam
Published: March 2007

We examine recent fertility trends in Ethiopia for evidence of short- and long-term responses to famine, political events, and economic decline. We use retrospective data on children ever born from the 1990 National Family and Fertility Survey to estimate trends in annual marital conception probabilities, controlling for women’s demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The results of our analysis provide evidence of significant short-term declines in conception probabilities during years of famine and major political and economic upheaval. In the longer term, marital fertility in both urban and rural areas declined in the 1980s after increasing moderately in the 1970s.
Demographics of the gay and lesbian population in the United States: Evidence from available systematic data sources
Authors: Black Dan , Gates Gary , Sanders Seth , Taylor Lowell
Published: March 2007

This work provides an overview of standard social science data sources that now allow some systematic study of the gay and lesbian population in the United States. For each data source, we consider how sexual orientation can be defined, and we note the potential sample sizes. We give special attention to the important problem of measurement error, especially the extent to which individuals recorded as gay and lesbian are indeed recorded correctly. Our concern is that because gays and lesbians constitute a relatively small fraction of the population, modest measurement problems could lead to serious errors in inference. In examining gays and lesbians in multiple data sets we also achieve a second objective: We provide a set of statistics about this population that is relevant to several current policy debates.
Age reporting among white Americans aged 85+: Results of a record linkage study
Authors: Hill Mark E. , Preston Samuel H. , Rosenwaike Ira
Published: March 2007

This study investigates age reporting on the death certificates of older white Americans. We link a sample of death certificates for native-born whites aged 85+ in 1985 to Social Security Administration records and to records of the U.S. censuses of 1900, 1910, and 1920. When ages in these sources are compared, inconsistencies are found to be minimal, even beyond age 95. Results show little distortion and no systematic biases in the reported age distribution of deaths. To explore the effect of age misreporting on old-age mortality, we estimate “corrected” age-specific death rates by the extinct-generation method for the U.S. white cohort born in 1885. With few exceptions, corrected and uncorrected rates in single years differ by less than 3% and are not systematically biased. When we compare corrected rates with those for the same birth cohort in France, Japan, and Sweden, we find that white American mortality at older ages is exceptionally low.
Regional analysis of divorce in China since 1980
Authors: Yi Zeng , Deqing Wu
Published: March 2007

This paper estimates and discusses divorce measures in China and its 30 provinces since 1980. The propensity for divorce in China increased 42% between 1982 and 1990. Substantial increases in divorce were observed in all provinces except Xinjiang and Shanxi. We found a fairly strong regional pattern of divorce in China: Divorce rates were lowest on the east coast and in eastern areas, highest in the northwest and the northeast, and moderate in the middle and southern parts of the country. Descriptive explanations of trends and regional variations are presented.
Social security, economic growth, and the rise in elderly widows’ independence in the twentieth century
Authors: McGarry Kathleen , Schoeni Robert F.
Published: March 2007

The percentage of elderly widows living alone rose from 18% in 1940 to 62% in 1990, while the percentage living with adult children declined from 59% to 20%. This study finds that income growth, particularly increased Social Security benefits, was the single most important determinant of living arrangements, accounting for nearly one-half of the increase in independent living. Unlike researchers in earlier studies, we find no evidence that the effect of income became stronger over the period. Changes in age, race, immigrant status, schooling, and completed fertility explain a relatively small share of the changes in living arrangements.
How does POSSLQ measure up? Historical estimates of cohabitation
Authors: Casper Lynne M. , Cohen Philip N.
Published: March 2007

We use March Current Population Survey (CPS) data from 1977 to 1997 to produce a new historical series of indirect cohabitation prevalence estimates. We compare our new estimates with those produced by the traditional method and evaluate the new estimates. We then compare the indirect estimates with the new direct estimates to investigate whether biases exist in the indirect estimates. Our findings indicate that the traditional indirect method of estimating cohabitation prevalence underestimates cohabitors in different subpopulations, especially among those with children. We also find that the new indirect measure produces relatively unbiased estimates of cohabitors’ characteristics.
Commentary on “A methodology for identifying married couples in medicare data”
Authors: Kestenbaum Bert
Published: March 2007

Authors of an article appearing recently in Demography propose a retrospective method to identify husband-wife pairs in administrative records. Although their premise is correct, they overstate the power of their methodology. The error stems from a misunderstanding of how persons entitled to both primary and secondary social security benefits are classified in program data. A retrospective look four years after the reference date shows that the number of pairs is increased by less than 10%, not by more than 50%, as the authors claim.
Reexamining the link of early childbearing to Marriage and to subsequent fertillty
Authors: Philip Morgan S. , Rindfuss Ronald R.
Published: March 2007

Using data from the 1980, 1985, and 1990 Current Population Surveys, we show that the link between early fertility and nonmarital births has become stronger. Women who give birth earlier are increasingly likely to be unmarried. In contrast, we find a weaker association between first births at young (versus older) ages and (1) a rapid pace of subsequent childbearing and (2) higher completed fertility. We discuss possible causes and consequences of these changes.
Incomplete reporting of men’s fertility in the united states and britain: A research note
Authors: Rendall Michael S. , Clarke Lynda , Peters H. Elizabeth , Ranjit Nalini , Verropoulou Georgia
Published: March 2007

We evaluate men;s retrospective fertility histories from the British Household Panel Survey and the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Further, we analyze the PSID men’s panel-updated fertility histories for their possible superiority over retrospective collection. One third to one half of men’s nonmarital births and births within previous marriages are missed in estimates from retrospective histories. Differential survey underrepresentation of previously married men compared with previously married women accounts for a substantial proportion of the deficits in previous-marriage fertility. More recent retrospective histories and panel-updated fertility histories improve reporting completeness, primarily by reducing the proportion of marital births from unions that are no longer intact at the survey date.
Three strikes and you're out: Demographic analysis of mandatory prison sentencing
Authors: Schmertmann Carl P. , Amankwaa Adansi A. , Long Robert D.
Published: March 2007

Much of the debate about the costs and benefits of “three-strikes” laws for repeat felony offenders is implicitly demographic, relying on unexamined assumptions about prison population dynamics. However, even state-of-the-art analysis has omitted important demographic details. We construct a multistate life-table model of population flows to and from prisons, incorporating age-specific transition rates estimated from administrative data from Florida. We use the multistate life-table model to investigate patterns of prison population growth and aging under many variants of three-strikes laws. Our analysis allows us to quantify these demographic changes and suggests that the aging of prison populations under three-strikes policies will Significantly undermine their long-run effectiveness.
The past, present, and future of sex segregation methodoloqy
Authors: Grusky David B. , Charles Maria
Published: March 2007

We review the logic underlying margin-free analyses of sex segregation arrays. In the course of our review, we show that the Karmel-MacLachlan decomposition does not live up to its margin-free billing, as the index upon which it rests, Ip, is itself margin-sensitive. Moreover, because the implicit individualism of D is necessarily inconsistent with margin-free analysis, the field would do well to abandon not merely the Karmel-MacLachlan decomposition but all related efforts to purge marginal dependencies from D-inspired measures. The criticisms that Watts (1998) levels against our log-multiplicative approach are likewise unconvincing. We demonstrate that our preferred models pass the test of organizational equivalence, that the “problem⤎ of zero cells can be solved by applying well-developed methods for ransacking incomplete or sparse tables, and that simple log-multiplicative models can be readily devised to analyze disaggregate arrays. We illustrate these conclusions by analyzing a new cross-national archive of detailed segregation data.
The analysis of sex segregation: When is index measurement not index measurement?
Authors: Watts Martin
Published: March 2007

In their paper in this issue. Grusky and Charles (1998) make a number of dubious claims about the measurement and interpretation of sex segregation. First, they incorrectly claim that only log-odds measures yield margin-free measures of segregation. Second. the estimation and testing of a limited class of log-linear models does not provide an independent test of the appropriateness of a log-odds ratio index to measure segregation. Their estimation informs them of the statistically justifiable degree of occupational disaggregation, not whether a log-odds ratio is superior to, say, a linear index in the measurement of segregation. Finally, their index A is beset with problems of interpretation. not withstanding their arguments. and their additional measures, Aw and AB, suffer similar problems. Grusky and Charles are. however, correct in arguing that measurement procedures should be margin-free. Further, I concur with the view that the adoption of a single annual summary measure of segregation cannot be justified. because it is premised on the assumption that individual occupations, or groups of occupations. exhibit similar trends in sex segregation.
Reconstructing the size of the African American population by age and sex, 1930–1990
Authors: Preston Samuel H. , Elo Irma T. , Foster Andrew , Fu Haishan
Published: March 2007

We estimate the size of the African American population in five-year age groups at census dates from 1930 to 1990 using a three-part strategy. For cohorts born after 1935, we follow the U.S. Census Bureau in using classical demographic analysis. To estimate the size of cohorts born before 1895, we use extinct-generation estimates. For remaining cohorts, we implement an age/period/cohort model of census counts. All approaches are applied to a data set in which the age distribution of deaths has been corrected for age misreporting. Results provide strong confirmation of the basic validity of Census Bureau estimates of census undercounts for African Americans while extending estimates to new cohorts and periods. Our estimates are less consistent with an historical series prepared by Coale and Rives (1973).
Changes in racial identification and the educational attainment of American Indians, 1970–1990
Authors: Eschbach Karl , Supple Khalil , Snipp C. Matthew
Published: March 2007

We use data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 census public-use files to assess the impact of newly identified Indians on the educational attainment of American Indians who were at least 25 years old in 1970. We test the hypotheses that this impact was limited to metropolitan areas and to states with small Indian populations. We find that educational attainment for American Indians rose sharply between 1970 and 1990 and that changes in racial identification were an important component of this increase in 1980 but not in 1990. Increases in educational attainment were concentrated in metropolitan areas and occurred in states with large and small Indian populations.
Intergenerational relations in urban China: Proximity, contact, and help to parents
Authors: Bian Fuqin , Logan John R. , Bian Yanjie
Published: March 2007

Although most older Chinese parents live with an adult son or daughter, most adult offspring do not live with parents. We examine the relations of these noncoresident offspring with parents in terms of proximity, frequency of contact, and exchange of help. Based on a 1993 random sample survey conducted in two major Chinese cities, we find that although rates of coresidence are high, noncoresident sons and daughters live close to parents, have frequent contact with their parents, and provide regular help to parents. Relationships with noncoresident sons and daughters are unaffected by whether parents coreside with another child. There is some evidence of closer relationships with sons than with daughters, but parents without a son receive as much help from all children as do parents with sons. The effects of these and other predictors are estimated in multivariate analyses, and results are interpreted in terms of the persistence or change of traditional family norms.
Trends in single mothers’ living arrangements from 1970 to 1995: Correcting the Current Population Survey
Authors: London Rebecca A.
Published: March 2007

I examine trends in single mothers’ living arrangements using data from the 1970–1995 Current Population Surveys. I create a consistent trend by correcting a coding problem that stemmed from the misidentification of children living in multigenerational households before 1984. Revised estimates show that the number of single mothers in each of these years was undercounted by 200,000–300,000. All of these women were subfamily heads living with their parents, and the problem occurred disproportionately among teens and black women. The uncorrected trend falsely indicates a large increase in the share of single mothers living with their parents. In reality, there was little change in the percentage of single mothers living in this arrangement over the time period. However, the data indicate a large increase in the rate of cohabitation and a comparable decline in the rate of living independently among this population.
Beyond single mothers: Cohabitation and marriage in the AFDC program
Authors: Moffitt Robert A. , Reville Robert , Winkler Anne E.
Published: March 2007

We investigate the extent and implications of cohabitation and marriage among U.S. welfare recipients. An analysis of four data sets (the Current Population Survey, the National Survey of Families and Households, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth) shows significant numbers of cohabitors among recipients of AFDC. An even more surprising finding is the large number of married women on welfare. We also report the results of a telephone survey of state AFDC agencies conducted to determine state rules governing cohabitation and marriage. The survey results indicate that, in a number of respects, AFDC rules encourage cohabitation. Finally, we conduct an analysis of the impact of AFDC rules on cohabitation, marriage, and single motherhood and find weak evidence in support of incentives to cohabit.
Ethnic stratification in Northwest China: Occupational differences between Han Chinese and national minorities in Xinjiang, 1982–1990
Authors: Hannum Emily , Xie Yu
Published: March 2007

The debate on market reforms and social stratification in China has paid very little attention to China’s ethnic minorities. We explored rising occupational stratification by ethnicity in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Analyses of census data from 1982 and 1990 pointed to educational disadvantages faced by ethnic minorities as the most plausible explanation for the change. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant increase in the effect of education on high-status occupational attainment but no change in the effect of ethnicity. Net of education, ethnic differences in high-status occupational attainment were negligible. In contrast, large ethnic differences in manufacturing and agricultural occupations persisted after education and geography were statistically controlled.
Gender, migration, and career trajectories in Malaysia
Authors: Chattopadhyay Arpita
Published: March 2007

With data from the Malaysian Family Life Survey, I use a continuous-state hazards model to study the impact of migration on the dynamics of individuals’ careers. I distinguish between the effects of family migration and solo migration by gender. The results show that migration alters the career trajectory primarily by accelerating the process of occupational mobility rather than by increasing the level of occupational attainment. Further, the effect of migration on careers varies by type of migration, especially for women. Male-female differences in the outcome of family migration, however, are visible only in transitions into and out of employment.
Educational attainment and transitions in functional status among older Taiwanese
Authors: Zimmer Zachary , Liu Xian , Hermalin Albert , Chuang Yi-Li
Published: March 2007

Despite considerable research examining the influence of socioeconomic status on health, few studies have considered this relationship as it pertains to older adults in non-Western societies. We attempt to ascertain the influence of education on changes in physical functioning in a rapidly developing country. Data come from the 1989 Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan and a follow-up interview in 1993 (N = 4,049, age = 60+). Individuals are conceptualized to be in a state of functional independence or functional limitation at the time of origin, based on their ability to perform three physical functioning tasks. The outcome at the follow-up interview is categorized as functionally independent, limited, or dead, allowing for six probabilities, one from each state of origin to each outcome. These are calculated using a multinomial logit model, controlling for other factors often thought to be associated with health transitions. High levels of educational attainment result in a decreased incidence of functional limitation for those originating in a state of independence. Contrary to expectations, however, education has little influence on those who originate functionally limited. Thus, higher education plays a substantial role in primary prevention of morbidity, delaying the onset of disability, but other factors are more important once limitations begin. We speculate on the reasons behind these findings, including that the results may be culturally dependent.
Father by law: Effects of joint legal custody on nonresident fathers’ involvement with children
Authors: Seltzer Judith A.
Published: March 2007

Family membership and household composition do not always coincide. Joint legal custody after divorce formalizes the relationship between fathers and children who live apart. Policymakers hope that explicit acknowledgment of nonresident fathers’ rights and responsibilities will increase their involvement with their children. I use prospective data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine the association between joint legal custody and two aspects of nonresident fathers’ contributions to their children—the frequency of visits between fathers and children and child-support payments. The analysis examines approximately 160 families in which parents divorced between interviews conducted for Wave 1 (1987–1988) and Wave 2 (1992–1994) of the survey. I investigate the effects of joint legal custody holding constant physical custody or placement by restricting the analysis to children who live with their mothers most of the year. Controlling for socioeconomic status and the quality of family relationships before separation, fathers with joint legal custody see their children more frequently and have more overnight visits than do other fathers. The positive effect of joint legal custody on frequency of visits persists once unobserved differences among families are taken into account. Although fathers with joint legal custody pay more child support than those without joint legal custody, this difference lacks statistical significance when other family characteristics are taken into account. These findings support the view that joint legal custody may encourage some aspects of paternal involvement after divorce.
Young unwed fathers of afdc children: do they provide support?
Authors: Rangarajan Anu , Gleason Philip
Published: March 2007

We examine the support provided by fathers of children born to disadvantaged teenage mothers. Our sample includes the fathers of 6,009 children born over a two-year period to 3,855 teenage mothers receiving AFDC in three economically depressed inner cities. These fathers provide little social and economic support to their children. Support declines as their children age from infants to toddlers and as fathers’ relationships with the mothers grow more distant. Fathers’ employment status and educational attainment positively affect the amount of economic support that they provide but do not strongly influence the amount of social support they provide.
Men’s career development and marriage timing during a period of rising inequality
Authors: Oppenheimer Valerie Kincade , Kalmijn Matthijs , Lim Nelson
Published: March 2007

Based on data from 1979–1990 NLSY interviews, we investigate the implications of rising economic inequality for young men’s marriage timing. Our approach is to relate marriage formation to the ease or difficulty of the career-entry process and to show that large race/schooling differences in career development lead to substantial variations in marriage timing. We develop measures of current career “maturity” and of long-term labor-market position. Employing discrete-time event-history methods, we show that these variables have a substantial impact on marriage formation for both blacks and whites. Applying our regression results to models based on observed race/schooling patterns of career development, we then estimate cumulative proportions ever married in a difficult versus an easy career-entry process. We find major differences in the pace of marriage formation, depending on the difficulty of the career transition. We also find considerable differences in these marriage timing patterns across race/schooling groups corresponding to the large observed differences in the speed and difficulty of career transitions between and within these groups
Couple childbearing desires, intentions, and births
Authors: Thomson Elizabeth
Published: March 2007

Using new panel data from the National Surveys of Families and Households, I investigate the effects of wives’ and husbands’ childbearing desires on their spouses’ intentions, and the effects of spouses’ desires and intentions on subsequent births. The results show clearly that husbands’ desires and intentions influence couples’ births, with approximately equal force to that of wives’ desires and intentions. When couples disagreed about wanting a child, each partners’ intentions were shifted toward not having a child; and disagreement in desires or intentions were reflected in birth rates that were lower than average. These patterns were generally not different for couples with more or less traditional gender roles or attitudes.
Learning in social networks and contraceptive choice
Authors: Kohler Hans-Peter
Published: March 2007

A puzzling observation in the diffusion of modern fertility control is the persistent diversity in contraceptive practices across communities or social strata. I propose a model of “learning in social networks” to explain this diversity with the random dynamics of word-of-mouth communication. Women are uncertain about the merits of modern contraception and estimate the different qualities of available methods based on imprecise information from network partners. Their contraceptive choices are determined by this estimate and by private knowledge about one s personal characteristics. This process of social learning leads to path-dependent adoption of fertility control within, and diversity in contraceptive practices across villages or social strata.
Community-level determinants of contraceptive use in the Philippines: A structural analysis
Authors: Degraff Deborah S. , Bilsborrow Richard E. , Guilkey David K.
Published: March 2007

We use household and community data from the Philippines to estimate a multilevel model of contraceptive use. We go beyond previous efforts in this field by developing a structural model that recognizes joint endogeneity and the temporal ordering of variables, by considering a wider range of community influences on fertility behavior, and by employing an econometric procedure allowing for a multilevel error structure. The results suggest that there are significant effects on fertility behavior of community-level family planning services, labor-market conditions, and infrastructure development. These results provide insights regarding the structural determinants of contraceptive use and fertility that are useful for drawing policy implications.
Premature birth and the changing composition of newborn infectious disease mortality: Reconsidering “exogenous” mortality
Authors: Sowards Kathryn A.
Published: March 2007

Linked death and birth records from San Antonio, Texas reveal that infectious infant mortality is increasingly a function of premature birth and low birth weight. Between 1935 and 1944, 4% of infectious infant deaths had associated causes involving prematurity and related conditions; by 1980, 25% of infectious infant deaths involved prematurity and more than 40% of those infants weighed less than 2,500 grams. The shift in birth-weight composition results almost entirely from an increase in very low-weight births. Under conditions of advanced perinatal technology, infectious infant mortality should no longer be viewed as wholly exogenous. These findings further undermine the contemporary relevance of the exogenous-endogenous distinction.
Population momentum expresses population aging
Authors: Kim Young J. , Schoen Robert
Published: March 2007

Population momentum and population aging occur when an initially growing population experiences a reduction in fertility to replacement level. Conceptually and empirically, momentum and aging express the same change, albeit on different scales. Fundamentally, they are two manifestations of the underlying process of demographic transformation. We consider three measures of aging over the transition to stationarity: the increase in mean population age, the decrease in the proportion under age 30, and the increase in the proportion over age 65. The three measures of aging are highly correlated, though the relationship to momentum is weakest for the increase in the proportion over age 65. We find that momentum is linearly related to aging. In both model and actual populations, a one-year increase in mean age translates into about 4.5% more population growth. The population below age 30 does not grow over the transition to stationarity, and the ratio of initial to ultimate proportions under age 30 is virtually identical to momentum.
Antral Augmentation, Osseointegration, and Sinusitis: The Otolaryngologist's Perspective
Authors: Zimbler Marc S. , Lebowitz Richard A. , Glickman Robert , Brecht Lawrence E. , Jacobs Joseph B.
Published: March 2007

Osseointegrated dental implants are a widely used method of replacing lost or missing teeth. Resorption of the alveolar ridge of the edentulous posterior maxilla may necessitate augmentation before osseointegration to provide adequate bone for implant fixation. This can be accomplished through an intraoral approach to the maxillary sinus, with elevation of the mucosa of the sinus floor creating a pocket for graft placement. Disruption of the intact sinus mucosa may result in sinusitis, graft infection, or extrusion with secondary formation of an oroantral communication. To treat these patients effectively, the otolaryngologist must be aware of the techniques of sinus augmentation and osseointegration as well as the etiology of associated complications. We will discuss the management of four patients with significant sinus complications, and evaluate the otolaryngologist's role in the preoperative and postoperative care of these patients.
Scopulariopsis: An Invasive Nasal Infection
Authors: Jabor Mark A. , Greer Donald L. , Amedee Ronald G.
Published: March 2007

Scopulariopsis, a soil saprophyte, rarely produces disease and has not been reported to cause invasive nasal destruction in a nonimmunocompromised host. We report the first case of Scopulariopsis in the otolaryngology literature. Prompt surgical debridement is required and usually adequate. Disagreement exists on the use of antifungals as an effective treatment. A case of invasive Scopulariopsis involving the nasal septum of a 72-year-old man is detailed, and successful treatment consisted of local debridement without antifungal drugs. His diagnosis, clinical course, and outcome illustrates the expanding differential diagnosis faced by the otolaryngologist in patients with nasal disease.
Reference Values for Acoustic Rhinometry in Subjects without Nasal Symptoms
Authors: Millqvist Eva , Bende Mats
Published: March 2007

Reference values for acoustic rhinometry are presented from 334 individuals without nasal symptoms between 4 years and 61 years old. There was a significant correlation between the minimal cross-sectional area (MCA) and nasal volume. Although the reproducibility of the method was good, the MCA varied widely. MCA correlated weakly to weight, height, age, and body mass index. Our data suggest that acoustic rhinometry is valuable for inter-individual comparisons.
Ideen zu einer Theorie des Magneten
Authors: von Arnim L. A.
Published: March 2007

Resultat der Untersuchungen über die negative Schwere des Phlogistons. Die Anziehung wirkt chemisch und ist qualitativ bestimmt. — Die organische Welt zeigt auch hier andere qualitative Bestimmungen. Das Veränderliche der Witterung wird durch diese organische Welt bestimmt. ‐ Auch die magnetische wie die electrische Anziehung sind qualitativ; ihr Gesetz ist Anziehung des Entgegengesetzten. Diesem steht ein allgemeines chemisches Gesetz entgegen: das Oxydirte verbindet sich nur dem Oxydirten, das Desoxydirte nur dem Desoxydirten. Aus diesem Gegensatze zwischen chemischer Durchdringung und magnetischer Vertheilung werden ihre Gesetze entwickelt. ‐ Das Verhältniss zwischen Magnetismus, Cohärenz und Wärme wird weiter verfolgt und beiläufig ein neues Gesetz der Cohärenz entwickelt. (Beweis, dass die magnetische Zurückstossung nur scheinbar, dass die Pole nicht Punkte, sondern Durchschnittsflächen sind. Der Magnet zerfält dadruch in zwei gleiche und einen ungleichen Abschnitt. Nothwendigkeit dreier Körper zur magnetischen Kette.) ‐ Die Polarität der Wärme wird durch neue Erfahrungen bewiesen, ihr Gegensatz zu der Krystallisation ausgesucht; das Zwischenliegen der Polarität vermuthet. Vermuthungen über den Einfluss der Nord‐und Südlichter u.f.w. auf die Magnetnadel.
VERSUCHE und BEMERKUNGEN über den Galvanismus der Voltaischen Batterie
Authors: Ritter J. W.
Published: March 2007

Untersuchungen zur Beantwortung der Frage: Welche Seite, welches Ende der Voltaischen Batterie hat man, Gründen zu Folge, das Zink‐, welches das Silberende derselben zu nennen? Resultat: Die Oxygenseite der Batterie, oder die positive in electrischer Hinsicht, ist die wahre Zinkseite, die Hydrogenseite, oder die negative, ist die wahre Silberseite derselben. Widerlegung der Gründe, durch die man ein diesem ganz entgegengesetztes Resultat erwiesen glaubt. Bemerkungen über Enden und Pole galvanischer Batterien überhaupt.
VERSUCHE und BEMERKUNGEN über den Galvanismus der Voltaischen Batterie
Authors: Ritter J. W.
Published: March 2007

I. Erklärung, betreffend die Einfachheit des Wassers und die Versuche, welche dafür oder dagegen scheinen. ‐ II. Vermischte Bemerkungen. Verhalten der Flamme in der Kette der Batterie. Beweis, dass auch bei den chemischen Wirkungen der Batterie auf trocknem Wege die Zinkseite die Oxygenseite, die Silberseite die Hydrogenseite sey. Lichtenbergische Figuren besondern Ursprungs. Funken unter seltnen Bedingungen. Funken bei der Trennung.
Predicting blood pressure improvement in hypertensive patients after renal artery stent placement
Authors: Mitchell Jason A. , Subramanian Rajesh , White Christopher J. , Soukas Peter A. , Almagor Yaron , Stewart Richard E. , Rosenfield Kenneth
Published: March 2007

Background: Renal stent placement improves or cures hypertension in only 60–70% of patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS) and uncontrolled hypertension. There is a need to better identify patients who are likely to respond to percutaneous renal revascularization. We investigated whether an abnormal renal fractional flow reserve (FFR) would predict blood pressure improvement in patients undergoing renal artery stent placement. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 17 patients with unilateral RAS and medically refractory hypertension (BP > 140/90 mm Hg). Renal FFR was measured at maximal hyperemia induced by papaverine followed by renal stent placement. Blood pressure improvement was defined as a blood pressure of ≤140/90 mm Hg or an absolute decrease in diastolic blood pressure by 15 mm Hg on the same or less number of medications. Patients not meeting the above criteria were nonresponders. Results: Renal stent placement was successful in all patients. The average follow‐up was 10 ± 2 months. In patients with an abnormal renal FFR (< 0.80) blood pressure improved at 90 days in 86% compared with 30% in the normal renal FFR group (P = 0.04). Translesional pressure gradients (resting, peak, or hyperemic) alone failed to differentiate blood pressure responders from nonresponders. Conclusions: Renal FFR is a promising tool to identify patients likely to benefit following renal stent placement. This finding was independent of translesional pressure gradients, which did not predict blood pressure improvement. The ability to segregate patients with RAS and coexisting hypertension from those with renovascular hypertension may help clinicians select patients most likely to benefit from revascularization. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Five‐year survival after surgical treatment for kidney cancer
Authors: Hollingsworth John M. , Miller David C. , Daignault Stephanie , Hollenbeck Brent K.
Published: March 2007

BACKGROUND.

Kidney cancer's rising incidence is largely attributable to the increased detection of small renal masses. Although surgery rates have paralleled this incidence trend, mortality continues to rise, calling into question the necessity of surgery for all patients with renal masses. Using a population‐based cohort, a competing risk analysis was performed to estimate patient survival after surgery for kidney cancer, as a function of patient age and tumor size at diagnosis.

METHODS.

With data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (1983–2002), a cohort was assembled of 26,618 patients with surgically treated, local‐regional kidney cancer. Patients were sorted into 20 age‐tumor size categories and the numbers of patients that were alive, dead from kidney cancer, and dead from other causes were tabulated. Poisson regression models were fitted to obtain estimates of cancer‐specific and competing‐cause mortality.

RESULTS.

Age‐specific kidney cancer mortality was stable across all size strata but varied inversely with tumor size. Patients with the smallest tumors enjoyed the lowest cancer‐specific mortality (5% for masses ≤4 cm). Competing‐cause mortality rose with increasing patient age. The estimated 5‐year competing‐cause mortality for elderly subjects (≥70 years) was 28.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 25.9%–30.8%), irrespective of tumor size.

CONCLUSIONS.

Despite surgical therapy, competing‐cause mortality for patients with renal masses rises with increasing patient age. After 5 years, one‐third of elderly patients (≥70 years) will die from other causes, suggesting the need for prospective studies to evaluate the role of active surveillance as an initial therapeutic approach for some small renal masses. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Cognitive function during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer
Authors: Hermelink Kerstin , Untch Michael , Lux Michael P. , Kreienberg Rolf , Beck Thomas , Bauerfeind Ingo , Münzel Karin
Published: March 2007

BACKGROUND.

It is believed widely that chemotherapy‐induced cognitive impairment occurs in a subgroup of patients with breast cancer. However, recent reports have provided no evidence that chemotherapy affects cognition. In this study, the authors questioned whether cognitive compromise in patients with breast cancer is attributable to chemotherapy. In addition, the effects of therapy‐induced menopause and of the erythropoiesis‐stimulating factor darbepoetin α on cognitive performance were assessed.

METHODS.

A battery of neuropsychological tests was used to assess cognitive performance in 101 patients with breast cancer before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (T1) and toward the end of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (T2) with combined epirubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide with concomitant darbepoetin α. Repeated‐measures multiple analyses of variance and a reliable‐change approach were used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS.

At T1, the group means ranged below the test norms in 5 of 12 cognitive tests. At T2, multiple analyses of variance (MANOVA) indicated a significant overall improvement in the test results (P < .001). After correcting for practice effects, cognitive decline predominated in 27% of patients, whereas improvement predominated in 28% of patients. Cognitive performance was not related significantly to self‐reported cognitive problems, anxiety and depression, menopause, or darbepoetin α administration.

CONCLUSIONS.

Even before chemotherapy, a subgroup of patients with breast cancer showed cognitive compromise that was unrelated to anxiety or depression. During chemotherapy, cognitive function remained stable in most patients, improved in a subgroup, and deteriorated in another subgroup. The deterioration may have been caused by side effects of chemotherapy, but it also may have been related to currently unidentified factors that cause prechemotherapy cognitive compromise. Therapy‐induced menopause and darbepoetin α did not appear to influence cognition. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Distribution of vitronectin in plasma and liver tissue: Relationship to chronic liver disease
Authors: Kobayashi Junko , Yamada Sadako , Kawasaki Hironaka
Published: March 2007

To clarify the clinical significance of vitronectin, we compared the concentration of plasma vitronectin with serum fibrous markers and liver function test values in patients with chronic liver diseases. We also evaluated the vitronectin content in the liver by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the localization of vitronectin in liver tissue with enzyme immunohistochemistry. In chronic liver disease, the concentration of plasma vitronectin was significantly lower than that in healthy controls, being related to the severity of liver disease. The plasma levels of vitronectin showed no correlation to fibrous markers but a significant correlation with those of serum albumin and prothrombin time. On the other hand, the content of vitronectin in liver tissue was significantly increased in chronic liver disease compared with that in normal controls. In the normal liver, vitronectin was observed in the portal area by light microscopy. In chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, vitronectin was found in the connective tissue around the portal and central veins and in the areas of piecemeal and focal necrosis. These findings suggested that vitronectin is deposited in injured tissue through the process of repair and fibrosis and plays an important role as an adhesive protein. Moreover, the lower levels of plasma vitronectin in chronic liver disease may be due to its decreased synthesis, deposition or both in injured tissue.
Mechanism of serum cholesterol reduction by oat bran
Authors: Marlett Judith A. , Hosig Kathryn B. , Vollendorf Nicholas W. , Shinnick Fred L. , Haack Valerie S. , Story Jon A.
Published: March 2007

Nine normolipidemic young men consumed a constant diet for 2 mo into which oat bran was incorporated during the second month so that we might test the hypotheses that oats lower serum cholesterol concentrations by decreasing bile acid and fat absorption and increasing bile acid synthesis. Bile acid kinetics were determined by measuring the 13C enrichment of serum cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids. Oat bran consumption decreased serum cholesterol levels (p < 0.01) and cholic acid pool size (p < 0.05). Deoxycholic acid pool size (p < 0.01) and the synthesis and fractional turnover rates of both primary bile acids (p < 0.05) increased. Total bile acid pool size did not change. Fecal excretion of total bile acids, the two secondary bile acids and fat increased significantly. The results demonstrate that oat bran lowers serum cholesterol levels in part by altering bile acid metabolism. In addition, the substantial increase in the proportion of the total bile acid pool that was deoxycholic acid is consistent with the hypothesis that oat bran also decreases cholesterol synthesis.
Effect of intrahepatic portal-systemic shunting on hepatic ammonia extraction in patients with cirrhosis
Authors: Nomura Fumio , Ohnishi Kunihiko , Terabayashi Hidetaka , Nakai Toshiaki , Isobe Kazumasa , Takekoshi Kazuhiro , Okuda Kunio
Published: March 2007

Increased plasma ammonia levels in patients with advanced cirrhosis have been attributed to reduced conversion of enteric ammonia to urea by the diseased liver and to entry of enteric ammonia into systemic circulation by way of portal-systemic shunts. Because single-pass extraction is high for portal venous ammonia, reduction of portal blood supply to hepatocytes may have detrimental effects on the hepatic extraction of ammonia. To assess how the development of intrahepatic portal-systemic shunts alters hepatic ammonia metabolism, we determined portal and hepatic venous ammonia levels along with measurements of intrahepatic portal-systemic shunts using 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin in 46 patients with portal hypertension. Hepatic venous ammonia levels in the groups of patients with idiopathic portal hypertension, Child class A cirrhosis and Child class B or C cirrhosis were 36 ± 17, 75 ± 26 and 93 ± 52 μg/dl, respectively, in increasing order, and portal venous ammonia extraction rates as calculated with the equation (portal venous ammonia — hepatic venous ammonia)/portal venous ammonia × 100% were decreased in the same order (77% ± 14%,50% ± 21%,40% ± 25%, respectively). Furthermore, we noted a significant negative correlation between the intrahepatic shunt indexes as calculated by counts per minute in lungs/counts per minute in lungs and liver × 100% and the ammonia extraction rates. It was noteworthy that among Child class C patients, the ammonia extraction rates were significantly lower in patients with high intrahepatic shunt indexes than in those with low shunt indexes. These results demonstrate a significant direct relationship between hepatic ammonia extraction rates and intrahepatic shunting in cirrhosis. (Hepatology 1994;20:1478-1481).
Renal impairment after spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhosis: Incidence, clinical course, predictive factors and prognosis
Authors: Follo Antonio , Llovet Jose María , Navasa Miquel , Planas Ramón , Forns Xavier , Francitorra Anna , Rimola Antoni , Gassull Miguel Angel , Arroyo Vicente , Rodés Joan
Published: March 2007

Although spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is considered a precipitating factor of renal impairment in cirrhosis, no study specifically addressing this problem has been reported. This study was aimed at assessing the incidence, clinical course, predictive factors and prognosis of renal impairment in cirrhotic patients with peritonitis. Therefore, 252 consecutive episodes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in 197 patients were analyzed. Clinical and laboratory data obtained before and after diagnosis of peritonitis were considered as possible predictors of renal impairment and hospital mortality. Renal impairment occurred in 83 (33%) episodes, and in every instance it fulfilled the criteria of functional kidney failure. Renal impairment was progressive in 35 episodes, steady in 27 and transient in 21. Blood urea nitrogen and serum sodium concentration before peritonitis and band neutrophils count in blood at diagnosis were independent predictors for the development of renal impairment. Renal impairment was the strongest independent predictor of mortality during hospitalization. Other independent prognostic factors were blood urea nitrogen level before peritonitis, age, positive ascitic fluid culture and serum bilirubin level during infection. These results indicate that renal impairment is a frequent event in cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis that occurs mainly in patients with kidney failure before infection. Renal impairment is the most important predictor of hospital mortality in cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. (Hepatology 1994;20:1495-1501).