bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sequential recruitment of neutrophils into lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in LPS-induced acute lung injury
Authors: Reutershan Jörg , Basit Abdul , Galkina Elena V. , Ley Klaus
Published: June 2005

Infiltration of activated neutrophils [polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN)] into the lung is an important component of the inflammatory response in acute lung injury. The signals required to direct PMN into the different compartments of the lung have not been fully elucidated. In a murine model of LPS-induced lung injury, we investigated the sequential recruitment of PMN into the pulmonary vasculature, lung interstitium, and alveolar space. Mice were exposed to aerosolized LPS and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), and lungs were harvested at different time points. We developed a flow cytometry-based technique to assess in vivo trafficking of PMN in the intravascular and extravascular lung compartments. Aerosolized LPS induced consistent PMN migration into all lung compartments. We found that sequestration in the pulmonary vasculature occurred within the first hour. Transendothelial migration into the interstitial space started 1 h after LPS exposure and increased continuously until a plateau was reached between 12 and 24 h. Transepithelial migration into the alveolar air space was delayed, as the first PMN did not appear until 2 h after LPS, reaching a peak at 24 h. Transendothelial migration and transepithelial migration were inhibited by pertussis toxin, indicating involvement of Gαi-coupled receptors. These findings confirm LPS-induced migration of PMN into the lung. For the first time, distinct transmigration steps into the different lung compartments are characterized in vivo.
Viscoelastic Constitutive Model of Cord-Rubber Composite
Authors: Zhang Fengfa , Kuang Zhenbang , Wan Zhimin , Du Xingwen
Published: June 2005

A viscoelastic constitutive model is proposed. The strain energy density function is introduced in the constitutive model that is validated by biaxial tensile experimental data of nylon cord-rubber composite. Results show that the large deformation and viscoelastic constitutive model is effective for cord-rubber composite.
Control of Smart Laminated FRP Structures using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Srivastava Ankit , Agarwal Amit , Chakraborty D. , Dutta A.
Published: June 2005

This paper deals with the vibration control of smart laminated fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites using back propagation neural networks (BPNNs). To simulate the system dynamics, a finite element model for smart layered FRP composites is developed, which could incorporate any number of piezoelectric layers in addition to the usual composite layers. To control the vibrations of smart FRP laminated composites, BPNN has been used. Sensing and actuation are achieved by the piezoelectric sensors and actuators. The active vibration control performance of beams/plates with piezoelectric sensors and actuator layers is studied using this model. It has been observed that the use of neural network can control the displacement reasonably well.
Marital Therapy for Arab Muslim Palestinian Couples in the Context of Reacculturation
Authors: Al-Krenawi Alean , Graham John R.
Published: June 2005

Two case studies of Arab Muslim Palestinian couples who had lived in North America and returned home to the West Bank, Palestine, are presented. The first case study shows the tension of returning home and having North American values conflict with traditional Arab Muslim world values. The second case sheds insight into the strain of a family returning home and experiencing the conflict with traditional values. The cases show how patriarchy is malleable over time and place. They likewise highlight the importance of gender, patriarchy, family, extended family, and community influences on couples’ experiences of acculturation and reacculturation: a process of double transition, where conflict, confusion, disharmony, and disintegration may arise at two stages, and where a cumulative impact from acculturation to reacculturation may occur. The conclusion highlights how clinical intervention needs to be culturally responsive and acutely sensitive toward the rights of women.
Imaginary Team Members: A Couples Counseling Perspective
Authors: Watts Richard E. , Peluso Paul R.
Published: June 2005

The postmodern counseling literature contains numerous interventions that may help to create a neutral place for client reflection. Andersen suggested the use of “reflecting teams” for helping clients become more reflective in their thinking. A reflecting team is made up of individuals (usually other counselors) who observe and reflect on the therapeutic process that they are witnessing. Clients, in turn, then discuss their reflections of the reflecting team’s conversation. According to Freedman and Combs, an extension of the reflecting teams technique may include persons not actually present in the counseling session. Later, these team members may be invited to future sessions, and eventually the couple may be instructed to use this exercise at home to help them create alternative meanings and behaviors. In this article, the authors present a technique loosely based on the reflective team approach for use with couples.
On Norms of Force Functionals and Stress Representations
Authors: Segev R. , Debotton G.
Published: June 2005

Forces in continuum mechanics are analyzed as 0-currents of geometric measure theory. The representation of forces by stresses is discussed and the flat norm of a force is expressed in terms of stress fields. An analogous treatment expresses the Sobolev norm of a force in terms of stress fields. In both cases, one obtains bounds on the stress fields that are in equilibrium with a given force. The analysis is universal in the sense that it is independent of any constitutive relation.
Acoustic Gap Waves in Piezoelectromagnetic Materials
Authors: Yang J. S.
Published: June 2005

It is shown that the propagation of a gap wave is possible between two ceramic piezoelectric half spaces as governed by the three-dimensional equations of piezoelectromagnetism with full electromagnetic coupling.
Interface Effects and Coherent Waves in Porous Elastic Media
Authors: Aguiar A. R. , Angel Y. C.
Published: June 2005

Results concerning the behavior of interfaces in the presence of multiple scattering are obtained here for the first time. To characterize interface effects, we consider an elastic slab of finite thickness containing a random distribution of circular cylindrical cavities. Using elasticity theory, and taking first-order multiple scattering effects between cavities into account, we obtain two new results. First, inside the slab, within one cavity-diameter from the two slab boundaries, the coherent displacement is strongly inhomogeneous (with singular first and second derivatives). Second, inside the slab, away from the preceding singular regions, the coherent displacement is governed by a complex-valued wavenumber (which is independent of slab thickness). Exhaustive analytical work, together with time-consuming finely-tuned numerical work, has been performed, which has allowed us to evaluate the complex-valued wavenumber. We plot the corresponding speed and attenuation as functions of frequency for various cavity densities. This work will help researchers improve the precision of ultrasound technologies in materials engineering or biomaterials engineering.
Potential Representations of Solutions for Dynamic Bending of Elastic Plates Weakened by Cracks
Authors: Chudinovich Igor , Constanda Christian
Published: June 2005

The existence of distributional solutions is investigated for the boundary integral equations associated with the motion of a thin elastic plate weakened by a crack.
Restricted Invariants on the Space of Elasticity Tensors
Authors: Forte Sandra , Vianello Maurizio
Published: June 2005

A linear function defined on the space of elasticity tensors is a restricted invariant under a group of rotations G if it has an invariant restriction to a proper subspace which is larger than the set left fixed by the action of G itself. A necessary and sufficient condition for a function to be a restricted invariant is given using concepts related with isotypic decomposition, Haar integration and G -dependence. The result is applied to characterize isotropic and transversely isotropic restricted invariants.
IL-2 induces expression and secretion of IFN-γ in murine peritoneal macrophages
Authors: Puddu Patrizia , Carollo Maria , Pietraforte Immacolata , Spadaro Francesca , Tombesi Marina , Ramoni Carlo , Belardelli Filippo , Gessani Sandra
Published: June 2005

We investigated the effect of interleukin (IL)-2, a T cell growth factor capable of activating certain macrophage functions, on interferon (IFN)-γ expression in resting mouse peritoneal macrophages (PM). IL-2 addition to PM from different mouse strains up-modulated IFN-γ mRNA and protein secretion. It is notable that endogenous type I and II IFNs did not play any role in the IL-2-mediated effect, as comparable levels of secreted IFN-γ were observed upon IL-2 stimulation of PM from deficient mice. In contrast, endogenous IFN-γ was requested for the IL-12-induced IFN-γ production. It is interesting that blocking of each component of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) by neutralizing antibodies almost completely abolished IL-2-induced IFN-γ production, suggesting that all IL-2R chains contribute to the PM biological response to IL-2. The simultaneous treatment of PM with IL-2 and IL-12 resulted in a higher IFN-γ secretion with respect to that obtained upon treatment with IL-2 or IL-12 alone. It is notable that IFN-γ protein was expressed intracellularly in the majority of cells exhibiting a macrophage phenotype (i.e., F4/80+) and was secreted upon IL-2 stimulation. Overall, these findings demonstrate that IL-2 regulates at different levels IFN-γ expression in macrophages, highlighting the crucial role of these cells and their regulated responsiveness to key cytokines in the cross-talk between innate and adaptive immunity.
Environmental influences cause menstrual synchrony, not pheromones
Authors: Little B. B. , Guzick D. S. , Malina R. M. , Ferreina M. D. Rocha
Published: June 2005

To assess the influence of environmental conditions on the pattern of menstrual variation among women, data on menstrual cycles were recorded longitudinally from 127 university women who lived in a group of houses surrounding a central courtyard. Adequate follow‐up was available on 76 women, among whom menstrual synchrony occurred in a short period of time. During the first month of coresidence, the day of menstrual onset deviated from the mean by an average of 13.7 days. During the next month, however, this average deviation declined to 2.6days. Moreover, it was found that menstrual synchrony occurred in the overall sample regardless of the house of residence, although synchrony occurred to a greater extent in some houses than in others. It would thus appear that common environmental influences play an important role in the overall pattern of menstrual cyclicity.
Gynoid and android fat patterning in Japanese‐American men: Body build and glucose metabolism
Authors: Newell‐Morris Laura , Moceri Victoria , Fujimoto Wilfred
Published: June 2005

Subcutaneous fat patterning was investigated in a sample of 229 second generation (Nisei) Japanese‐American men enrolled in an epidemiological study of noninsulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus. The study sample consisted of 78 men with diabetes, 72 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 79 with normal glucose tolerance, classified by a 75 gm oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT) and world Health Organization criteria. A combination of hierarchal cluster analysis and logarithmic regression analysis using skinfold thickness at seven anatomical sites yielded two distinctive fat pattern groups, viz, a gynoid fat pattern group (n = 16), with a significantly greater percentage of fat on the extremities; and an exaggerated android group (n = 34), with proportionately more fat on the trunk than predicted from total skinfold fat thickness. The two fat pattern groups and a sample of men of normal glucose tolerance (n = 53) were compared by analysis of variance with respect to 12 somatometric variables and indices encompassing length, breadth and muscle mass parameters. The three groups did not differ in age or height. In weight and body mass index, the gynoid fat pattern group was lowest, although there were no significant intergroup differences in total skinfold fat (seven sites summed). The gynoid group was also significantly less robust in body build than the android group, as judged by a lower intermembral index, lower ratios of bony chest breadth and biacromial diameter to sitting height, and reduced arm muscle mass. The prevalence of diabetes within each fat pattern group was slightly less than expected on the basis of the prevalence of IGT (44%) was found within the gynoid group; none of the differences were statistically significant. During the OGTT, the gynoid and android groups, minus diabetic men, differed significantly from men with normal glucose tolerance in serum glucose levels at 1.5 and 2 hr but not from one another. The limitations of cross‐sectional data of this nature for determining a differential risk fordisorders of glucose metabolism associated with type of fat deposition are discussed.
Evidence for continuing secular increase in height within families in the United States
Authors: Bock R. Darell , Sykes Robert C.
Published: June 2005

Measures of mature heights of the second generation of longitudinal subjects in the Fels Institute growth study are now becoming available. When augmented by the heights of the parents who enrolled the first‐generation children, these families provide three‐generation data for mature height. Heights of the first‐generation spouses are also available. The successive generations correspond approximately to the following birth cohorts: 1886–1920, 1921–1949, and 1950–1968. Also available in the Fels data are heights for two‐generation families with parents and offspring in successive cohorts. In the three‐generation families, the mean increases (cm) for 34 grandmothers, mothers, and daughters were 2.99 and 2.77, both significant with P < 0.01; for 14 grandfathers, fathers and sons, 3.15 and 3.63, the latter significant with P < 0.05. In the first and second cohort two‐generation families, the mean increase for 67 mothers and daughters was 4.01 (P < 0.01); for 62 fathers and sons, 3.84 (P < 0.01). In the second and third cohorts, the corresponding figures for 53 and 52 pairs were 3.00 and 4.36, both P < 0.01. In every case, the change in the rate of increase between the first and second generation cohort, and that between the second and third, was not statistically significant. There is no clear evidence that the secular increase in height is decreasing in these families. The finding must be qualified, however, by the observation that most of the first‐generation subjects grew to maturity during the Great Depression, when nutrition may have suffered relative to that of the post‐World War II years of the maturing second generation. Study of a third generation of Fels subjects may be necessary before a decrease in the secular trend becomes evident in this sample.
The FELS method of assessing the skeletal maturity of the hand‐wrist
Authors: Chumela Wm Cameron , Roche Alex F. , Thissen David
Published: June 2005

The FELS method of assessing the skeletal maturity of the hand‐wrist differs from the Greulich‐Pyle and Tanner‐Whitehouse methods in the observations made, the provision of a range of shapes to which maturity indicator grades can be assigned and in the statistical methods used to construct the scale of skeletal maturity. The FELS method for the hand‐wrist was developed using 13,823 serial radiographs of the left hand‐wrist of boys and girls in the Fels Longitudinal Study. One hundred‐thirty possible indicators were originally identified. Eighty‐five graded and 13 metric indicators were selected on the basis of an indicator's ability to discriminate between children at the same chronological age, its universal appearance, reliability, validity, and completeness. The subset of FEELS maturity indicators assessed at a chronological age are analyzed with a microcomputer program that provides the skeletal age and the standard error of the estimate for that skeletal age. Comparison among hand‐wrist skeletal age assessments for children in the Fels Longitudinal Study by the FELS, Greulich‐Pyle, and Tanner‐Whitehouse methods indicate that the FELS method is the more appropriate method for the present population of United States children.
Nutritional assessment of hospital patients: New methods and new opportunities
Authors: Van Itallie Theodore B. , Segal Karen R.
Published: June 2005

Recently, two new methods (total body electrical conductivity [TOBEC] and bioelectrical impedance analysis [BIA]) have become available for the rapid, safe, and convenient estimation of total body water in hospital patients. Despite these clear advantages, the clinical usefulness of the TOBEC and BIA methods in patient diagnosis and care is likely to be restricted by illness‐related changes in the hydration of the lean body and in the distribution of water between the intracellular and extracellular water compartments. If these methods can be refined so as to permit their measurement of extracellular water as rapidly as they now measure total body water, the ability of clinicians to assess and monitor the nutritional and metabolic status of their hospital patients will be greatly enhanced.
Cohabitation, activity level, and energy intake in parent‐child resemblance for selected biological traits
Authors: Bouchard Claude , Tremblay Angelo , Perusse Louis , Leblanc Claude , Theriault Germain , George Valérie
Published: June 2005

Activity level and energy intake were estimated from 3‐day records, including a weekend day, in parents and children from families of French descent. Subcutaneous fat from the summation of six skinfolds, fasting serum triglycerides, total and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and submaximal power output (PWC150) derived from a cycle ergometer test also were determined in these subjects. Dependent variables were normalized through log10 or squre‐root transformation, and scores were adjusted by generation for the effects of age and gender. Correlations with residual scores were performed with pairs of natural parents and child (N ≧ 1057) and pairs of foster parent and adopted child (N ≧ 283). Coefficients were generally little affected by statistical control over current activity level and energy intake. Pairs of biological relatives were classified as either very similar (25% of pairs) or very dissimilar (25% of pairs) in terms of energy intake or activity level. Correlations revealed that similarity or discordance in energy intake or activity level had only a slight effect on parent‐child resemblance. In addition, duration of cohabitation had little influence on parent‐child covariation. It was concluded that parent‐child resemblance in subcutaneous fat, work capacity, and blood lipids are not significantly affected by current patterns of energy intake, activity level, or duration of cohabitation.
The education of one spouse and the fatness of the other spouse
Authors: Garn Stanley M. , Sullivan Timothy V. , Hawthorne Victor M.
Published: June 2005

As shown in 702 wives with 9–12 years of education and 612 husbands similarly educated, the summed skinfolds of one spouse are influenced by the educational level of the other spouse, considerably so for the husbands. Women with 9–12 years of education married to men of lower educational attainment are higher in the sum of four skinfolds while women of similar years of schooling married to men of college education and beyond are leaner (P=0.001). Possible explanations for the effect of the education of one spouse on the fatness level of the other spouse include selective mating in the direction set by the husband's socioeconomic milieu and fatness “drift” on the part of the wives, again in the direction of the husband's socioeconomic status (SES). While these findings do not lend themselves to a simple biological explanation, they do reiterate the effects of socioeconomic variables on fatness level within populations and even within families.
Development of protocols for the application of salivary steroid analysis to field conditions
Authors: Lipson S. F. , Ellison P. T.
Published: June 2005

The simple and noninvasive nature of sample collection for salivary steroid assay makes this technique well suited for anthropological field studies of human reproduction function. In this study, a series of controlled experiments was done to investigate the effects of modifying common clinical sample collection and storage procedures for field use. Matched sets of samples were assayed for four steroids to test the effects of using plastic, rather than glass, collection tubes, of using a stimulant to aid collection, and of storing samples at ambient temperature rather than frozen.

Our work confirms the feasibility of collecting samples for salivary steroid assay in field situations, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of considering methodological issues in planning and interpreting such studies. Our results show that it is acceptable to use polystyrene collection tubes and a carefully chosen stimulant to aid collection, and that samples can be stored at ambient temperature in the field when frozen storage is not available. In addition, they demonstrate the necessity for consistency in sample collection and storage procedures.
Selective migration as a bias in modernization studies: Premigration differences in morphology and blood pressure among 15–30 year‐old American Samoans
Authors: Pearson Jay D. , Hanna Joel M.
Published: June 2005

Premigration differences in anthorpometry and blood pressure are examined for evidence of selective migration for biological characteristics. We conducted a 5‐years follows‐up of the migration status of 99 American Samoans 15–30 years old who had been previously examined in 1981 and found that 33 had migrated. Analysis of covariance of the baseline anthorpometry and blood pressures of the nonmigrants (n = 58) and those who subsequently migrated (n = 29) indicates that selective migration does occur among young American Samoan adults. Migrants of both sexes tended to be younger and leaner and had significantly lower mean blood pressures than nonmigrants even before migration. Selective migration of lean individuals with lower blood pressures may contribute to the lower blood pressures of migrants from American Samoa living in Hawaii or to the heterogeneity in other Samoan populations. These results are one of the few examples of biological selectivity demonstrated to date and illustrate the dangers of assuming that the effects of selective migration are negligible in studies of migration and health.
Are the known chronic diseases related to the human lifespan and its evolution?
Authors: Weiss Kenneth M.
Published: June 2005

There is running debate in the gerontological research literature concerning the relationship between causes of mortality and the human lifespan. Much of this debate concerns whether we can, by biomedical intervention in known degenerative diseases, square the human survivorship curve, at a point near some human “maximum lifespan potential” (MLP) This paper examines the concepts of lifespan and MLP and the relationship between the shape of the survivorship curve and the pattern of age‐specific mortality from chronic disease. The MLP need only be viewed as a statistical phenomenon whose genetic determination relates to general human metabolism rather than to programmed events occurring at the end of the human lifespan. The available evidence suggests that slowing of underlying senescence processes will not have the desired effects on survivorship, but rather the opposite.
Is poor early growth related to adult immune aging? A follow‐up study
Authors: Clark George A. , Aldwin Carolyn M. , Hall Nicholas R. , Spiro Avron , Goldstein Alan
Published: June 2005

Thymosin alpha 1 (TSN‐α1) is produced by the thymus gland, regulates immune function, and measures thymic involution. Poor early growth permanetly stunts size and function in features ceasing growth early, such as vertebral neural canals (VNCs) and the thymus gland (resulting in decreased TSN‐α1). The purpose of this study was to follow‐up prior research (Clark et al.: Hum. Biol. 60:435–451, 1988) demonstrating that healthy adults (n = 16) with lower levels of TSN‐α1 had significantly smaller VNCs and greater sitting height. If true, these relationships should still exist later in time. Consequently, TSN‐α1 was remeasured in 13 of the original men 2.5 years later. Bivariate analyses showed that lower TSN‐α1 serum levels still tended to correlate with smaller VNCs (r = .52; P = .065). These result were similar to the original study (VNCs r= .47; P < .05). In a stepwise regression, age weight, height, sitting height, fasting cortisol, and VNC were used to predict fasting TSN‐α1. As in the first study, only sitting height and VNC entered the equation. Together, they explained 57% of the variation (P = .01), markedly similar to the 54% (P < .05) explained by the first study. Thus, even though this was a small sample, this stability over time strengthens the hypothesis that poor early growth permanently lowers TSN‐α1. Nonetheless, these studies are pilot studies and should still be viewed with caution.
The British, American NCHS, and Dutch weight standards compared using the LMS method
Authors: Cole T. J.
Published: June 2005

The LMS method (Cole, 1988) is a method for fitting and summarising growth standards. The standard is represented by three curves plotted against age: The Box–Cox power transformation needed to bring the distribution close to normality (the L Curve), the mean (the M curve), and the coefficient of variation (the S curve), respectively. Individual centiles of the weight distribution at any age can be obtained from the age‐specific L, M, and S values by assuming that transformed weight is normally distributed. The British (Tanner et al.,1966 ), American NCHS (Hamill et al., 1977), and Ducth (Roede and Van Wieringen, 1985) national weight standards are compared by this method, and the centiles closely. The fit is better for the British and Dutch standards, where the centiles were originally drawn by eye, than for the American NCHS standard, which used cubic splines in its construction. The L curves from the three standards show a consistent pattern of changing skewness during childhood, particularly in puberty, which has not previously been noted. The values of the L, M, and S curves in each standard are tabulated by age and sex, and they allow any reference weight centile to be calculated. Equally, observed weights including those in the tails of the weight distribution can be expressed as centiles or SD scores to full accuracy.
Application of molecular techniques to the study of human physiological variation
Authors: Ferrell Robert E.
Published: June 2005

Physiological differences between human populatios, manifest as apparent adaptation to extreme environments, as differences in patterna of growth and development, and as differences in prevalence of common disease, are a mofer subject area of human biology. The approach of the geneticist interested in understanding these difference has been largely that of the proverbial drunk looking for has lost keys. We have characterized those genes whose products are easily assayed from peripheral blood and sought post hoc statistical evidence for a relationship between gene frequencies and physiological variables. With few exceptions, this approach has failed to provide convincing evidence of the role of genes in determining physiological differences between populations. This is not unexpected since the genes which our knowledge of physiology would predict to be important in determining physiological homeostasis.

Recent advances in molecular biology (particularly in the ability to isolate and clone specific genes and to use these as probes to detect genomic variation—polymorphism—associated with these genes in human populations) and advances in our ability to resolve and visualize genetic variation in protein products provide the tools for a direct evaluation of the role of specific gene in determining physiological differences between populations. I will review the “candidate genes” available for the study of several physiological systems and present preliminary data from my laboratory related to genetic determinants of lipid metabolism.
Body size and form of black girls age 9 years living in central South Carolina and eastern North Carolina
Authors: Robinson Patricia R. , Spurgeon John H.
Published: June 2005

Somatic data were collected during 1986–1987 on 53 Black girls age 9 years living in Calhoun County in rural central South Carolina. Measures of body size (standing height, sitting height, upper limb length, lower limb height, arm girth, hip width, and body weight), body from (lower limb height as a percentage of sitting height, arm girth as a percentage of upper limb length, calf girth as a percentage of lower limb height, hip width as a percentage of lower limb height) and skin‐fat thickness (over triceps and on abdomen) were analyzed for central tendency and variability. Comparisons were made with earlier samples of Black girls measured in rural regions of Richland County in central South Carolina during 1975–1976 and in urban Greenville city and rural Pitt County in eastern North Carolina during 1980–1981 as well as with earlier studies conducted in various parts of the United States. The four same‐age group samples yielded similar means for standing height, sitting height, arm and calf girth, and body weight. The Calhoun County girls exceeded their Pitt County, North Carolina, peers in lower limb height, upper limb length, and lower limb height as a percentage of sitting height. In each of the subgroups studied, the distribution of measures for skin‐fat thicknesses was, to some extent, skewed positively.
New approach for estimating excess body fat from changes in abdominal girth
Authors: Katch Frank I. , Katch Victor L. , Behnke Albert R.
Published: June 2005

A new method is proposed for determining changes in percent body fat (%BF) based on the difference between an initial value for abdominal girth (AG) and a calculated “target” AG based on a desired %BF. Group data from large‐scale anthropometric surveys in the military were used to derive specific reference values for Q, defined as the ratio of AG at a desired %BF to F(√BMkg/Htm). For an individual, Q*F resulted in an AG that corresponded to a desired %BF (set at approximately 20% for males and 30% for females). The method was applied to professional football players, longshoremen, shot‐put and weight‐lifting athletes, and obese males and females who reduced body mass and altered their body composition. The results showed that changes in AG with body mass loss were proportional to percentage changes in total body fat loss. These relationships permitted extrapolation to a projected target AG that corresponded to a desired %BF. The proposed method differs from the traditional approach that first determines %BF, and then the individual attempts to achieve a desired change in body mass or body composition. The objective of the new method is straightforward; the individual endeavors to attain a target AG that corresponds to a desired %BF.
Differences in the subcomponents of fat‐free body in relation to height between black and white children
Authors: Slaughter M. H. , Lohman T. G. , Boileau R. A. , Christ C. B. , Stillman R. J.
Published: June 2005

The individual subcomponents of fat‐free body (FFB) in relation to height were investigated in 131 white (N = 85) and black (N = 46) males (MW, MB) and 108 white (N = 63) and black (N = 45) females (FW, FB), aged 8 to 18 years. Bone mineral content (BM), bone width (BW), and bone mineral index (BMI) were measured using photon absorptiometry; total body water (TBW) was measured by deuterium dilution; body density was measured by hydrostatic weighing, correcting for residual lung volume; and estimates of lean body mass (LBM) were made from total body potassium (40K spectroscopy). The subcomponents of the FFB—BM, BW, BMI, TBW, and K—were regressed on the log of height to determine the exponent of the independent variable (Ht) that would most accurately predict the dependent variables (BM, BW, BMI, TBW, K) within gender and race. Regression equations were derived for each of the variables used to represent a subcomponent of the FFB on Ht. Significant (P < .05) racial differences were found in BW, with the MB having wider bones than the MW. Significant racial differences were observed in BMI with FB demonstrating a greater difference across height than FW. Racial differences in BM and TBW approached significance within the female sample. At heights greater than the mean of a typical pubescent child, the males had higher values for each of the variables, except for BMI, than did the females. The lower BMI values observed in males indicated that the rate at which male bones grow in width was greater than their rate of mineralization. Within the male sample, blacks had higher bone mineral than whites with the magnitude of these differences dependent on the variable under consideration. Within the female sample the blacks had greater amounts of BM and BMI in relation to height, while the whites had a greater amount of K. Therefore, the magnitude of the differences between blacks and whites in the subcomponents of the FFB are dependent on gender, stature, and the particular subcomponent of the FFB under consideration.
Height and weight differences among South African Urban schoolchildren born in various months of the year
Authors: Henneberg Maciej , Louw Graham J.
Published: June 2005

Among 1,165 subjects aged 6–18 years who were examined once cross‐sectionally, a significant variation in body height and weight according to the month of birth of the subjects was found. All subjects belonged to the so‐called Cape Coloured community, were born locally, and their parents belonged to the most affluent sector of the community. Individuals born in February to July were shorter and weighed less (by 13 to 17% of the standard deviation) than those born in August to January. These results are similar to those obtained for Canadian children, who were measured on their birthdays. Since our individuals were measured only once, at the same time of the year, observed differences cannot be ascribed to seasonal fluctuations of growth rates prior to measurement but must constitute a persistent effect of seasonal fluctuation in earlier growth. Immediate environmental conditions (food, temperature, rainfall, and insolation) in the Southern Hemisphere fluctuate seasonally 6 months out of phase from those in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus the similarity of our findings to those from the Northern Hemisphere suggests a factor common for the entire earth, possibly related to the ellipsoid shape of the orbit of the planet.
Reciprocal causal influences among malnutrition, growth retardation, and diarrhea in preschool children
Authors: Sibrián Ricardo , Elston Robert C.
Published: June 2005

Structural regression models are applied to longitudinal data to study reciprocal causal influences between malnutrition and infection in preschool children. Two models of three waves (time periods) are applied: a two‐variable model, the variables being acute malnutrition and diarrhea; and a three‐variable model, which includes chronic malnutrition as a third variable. Malnutrition is measured by standardized weight for age and standardized height for age, and enteric infection is measured by diarrhea. The latter is expressed as the number of days with diarrhea or fever divided by the number of days at risk in the trimester preceding anthropometric assessment. The data used in the analysis were gathered as part of a longitudinal study to estimate the effects of nutrition on mental and physical growth, conducted by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panamá (INCAP) in rural Guatemala. The sample comprises 508 children with complete data from families residing in four rural villages. Results provide evidence of significant causal influence of both diarrhea on acute malnutrition and of acute malnutrition on diarrhea. A cumulative effect of acute malnutrition on chronic malnutrition that leads to growth retardation is identified. Accordingly, interventions aimed at decreasing the causal effect of infection on malnutrition, as well as interventions aimed at improving the nutritional condition of children, are required.
Inference of a gene and its paths of descent: The Newfoundland example
Authors: Thompson E. A.
Published: June 2005

This paper presents various aspects of Pedigree Analysis through a review of a study of a Newfoundland genetic isolate. This study has evolved over a number of years and involved many researchers. The population came to attention due to a greatly enhanced incidence of a variety of lymphoreticular malignancies. Genetic analysis shows clearly that there are (at least) two groups of traits. Whereas the distribution of the leukaemia and lymphosarcoma cases show no clear genealogical pattern, the existence of a single recessive allele causing susceptibility to Hodgkin's disease and immunodeficiency in an isolated New‐foundland population can be inferred. There appears to be no heterozygote penetrance, but in the period up to 1974 homozygote penetrance was high and perhaps complete. More important, the ancestral paths of the allele can be inferred. Many ancestral individuals are obligatory carriers, and most others have either probability >95% or <5% of having carried the allele. More recently, methods were developed and applied in order to investigate linkage of this locus to conventional blood group and serum protein marker loci. Although no linkages were found, some observed associations were clarified, and some definite non‐linkages established.
Effect of moderate weight loss on ovarian function assessed by salivary progesterone measurements
Authors: Lager Catherine , Ellison Peter T.
Published: June 2005

The effects of moderate, voluntary weight loss on ovarian function are studied by monitoring the daily levels of salivary progesterone in 8 dieting women (18 cycles) and 9 age‐matched controls (19 cycles). Both groups of women were within normal standards of weight for height, though the dieters were significantly heavier than the controls. Dieters lost weight at an average rate of 1.9 ± 0.3 kg/mo during the study. Dieters' cycles during periods of weight loss (weight loss cycles) have significantly lower peak levels of luteal progesterone (controls 655 ± 46 pmol/L, weight loss 461 ± 67 pmol/L; P < 0.005) and lower average levels of luteal progesterone (controls 287 ± 30 pmol/L, weight loss 214 ± 23 pmol/L; P < 0.005) than do controls. All control cycles were classified as ovulatory by virtue of at least one salivary progesterone reading ≥ 300 pmol/L. Only 62% of the weight loss cycles were classified as ovulatory by this criterion. Where longitudinal weight data are available both the magnitude and duration of progesterone elevation correlates significantly with net weight change during the preceding cycle and show no significant correlation with net weight change during the current cycle. Examination of individual profiles confirms that the most profound suppression of luteal activity usually occurs during post‐loss rather than weight loss cycles, even if weight is stable or increasing during the post‐loss cycle itself. These results, together with field studies of African horticultural populations, suggest that human ovarian function may be adapted to modulate waiting time to conception in response to trends in energetic balance.
Estimation of energy expenditure in Western Samoa, American Samoa, and Honolulu by recall interviews and direct observation
Authors: Pearson Jay D.
Published: June 2005

Reliable and accurate estimates of energy expenditure are a fundamental requirement for research on energy balance, energy flow, and other biocultural phenomena. Cross‐validation of estimates derived from more than one time‐allocation method can detect sources of bias and may lead to estimates which are more credible than those from activity recalls used alone. This paper compares 24‐hour activity recalls and direct observations as methods of estimating the energy expenditure of 145 18–37‐year‐old Samoans residing in rural Western Samoa, American Samoa, and Honolulu. Daily energy expenditure was estimated on 2 workdays by activity recalls (n = 214) or by focal‐individual observations (n = 91). Samoan men expend 2,900–3,400 kcal/day and women expend 2,250–2,650 kcal/day. Estimates of energy expenditure in the Western Samoa sample are comparable to other subsistence horticultural societies, while the American Samoan and Honolulu samples are comparable to other sedentary working populations. Group estimates from recall interviews are 100–400 kcal/day higher than from observations, although this is only a difference of 5–10%. Overestimation of energy expenditure is more evident at higher work intensities than for sedentary activities. The apparent exaggeration of strenuous activity in this, and other, studies indicates that without cross‐validation, self‐reported activity data may often be confounded by an unknown amount of subjective bias.
Correlates of enamel hypoplasia with human dental reduction
Authors: McKee Jeffrey K. , Lunz Richard
Published: June 2005

Human dental reduction has been manifested in evolutionary and secular trends, but it is not known to what degree each of these complementary processes contributes to changes in tooth size. Enamel hypoplasia is a marker of developmental stress that is often found to be of greater frequency and severity in populations undergoing dental size reduction. In order to test the developmental association of enamel hypoplasia with tooth size, measurements of bucco‐lingual and mesio‐distal diameters were taken on teeth of 54 black male skulls from southern Africa. Those dentitions that exhibited incisal enamel hypoplasia were significantly reduced in size as compared to those showing no signs of developmental stress. A distinct pattern of reduction emerged: the bucco‐lingual diameters of the I1, I2, P3, P4, M1, and M2 were significantly reduced, whereas the mesio‐distal diameters of only the I2 and M2 decreased in size. The I2 and M2 showed the greatest degree of reduction despite the lack of macroscopic enamel hypoplasia on the M2. Application of the data to the variety of dental reduction patterns evinced in modern and ancient populations indicates that factors including tooth shape, developmental timing of stress, and genetic determinants of tooth size must be considered in order to partition evolutionary and secular trends in the dentition.
Reliability of Tanner stage assessments in a multi‐center study
Authors: Espeland Mark A. , Gallagher Dianne , Tell Grethe S. , Davison Laura L. , Platt Orah S.
Published: June 2005

Tanner stage indices have been frequently used in research studies to characterize the level of sexual maturation among adolescents. The Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD) is a large multi‐center study in which the assessment of Tanner stage indices has been performed to describe delays in sexual maturation and correlates of delays. Rigorous training, however, in rating Tanner stages was not provided for the clinicians in the study. Data from the CSSCD were analyzed to characterize the reliability of the assessment of sexual maturation in this study, and demonstrate the potential for increasing the reliability by more careful training. In lieu of a gold standard, a maximum likelihood algorithm was employed to examine the longitudinal consistency of Tanner stage assessments. Based on the assumption that the underlying process of sexual maturation is progressive, models were developed that allowed one to estimate jointly the incidence distribution for the attainment of Tanner stages and the error rates of assessment. Estimated false‐positive rates for assessing the attainment of Tanner stages from the CSSCD ranged from 2% to 19%. Estimated false‐negative rates ranged from 1% to 18%. The occurrence of these errors was found not to vary markedly with the subject's age. Error rates of this magnitude can introduce considerable bias to the estimation of the distribution of Tanner stages and result in serious losses in relative efficiency. While the validity of Tanner stage indices can be demonstrated from study data, the loss in statistical efficiency and power associated with the study error rates was severe. This underscores the utility of careful training in pubertal rating for research studies.
Infant feeding and infant health in American Samoa
Authors: Bindon James R. , Cabrera‐Mereb Claudine
Published: June 2005

This study examines the association between infant feeding patterns and health for 6,267 Samoan children born between 1976 and 1982, and represented in the Well Baby Clinic records at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center, American Samoa. The visits to the clinic were aggregated by trimester of age during the first year of life. For each trimester, the principal source of milk was determined, and the children were categorized as breast‐fed if they were taking only breast milk, bottle‐fed if they were getting no breast milk, or mixed‐fed if they were getting both breast milk and milk from other sources. Symptoms and complaints noted in the records were assigned to ICD categories. Associations between source of milk and disease category were analyzed. The Samoan infants were found to be quite healthy for a tropical developing population, as evidenced by both growth in weight and length, as well as by frequency of illnesses. The most common specific disease category, aside from miscellaneous symptoms, was ICD 8, respiratory problems. Gastrointestinal diseases were rare for a developing area. There was an association between source of milk and illness (yes/no) for both the second and third trimesters. In both cases breast‐fed infants were healthier than the mixed‐fed infants, and during the second trimester the contrast was significant with bottle‐fed infants also. When examined by ICD category, breast‐fed infants tended to be less likely to have problems in any of the categories, but the only significant differences were between mixed‐fed (lower prevalence) and bottle‐fed infants during the first trimester for ICD 3, primarily nutritional problems; and for breast‐fed (lower prevalence) and mixed‐fed infants for ICD 9, digestive problems. These findings highlight the need for additional household work to delineate associations with the growth and health of Samoan infants.