Did smallpox cause stillbirths? Maternal smallpox infection, vaccination and stillbirths in Sweden, 1780-1839

Woods (2009) argued that smallpox was an important cause of stillbirths in the past. While there is strong evidence that maternal smallpox infection could lead to fetal loss, it is not clear whether smallpox infections were a demographically important source of stillbirths. In this paper, we use parish-level data from the Swedish Tabellverket dataset from 1780 to 1839 to test the effect of smallpox on stillbirths quantitatively. We use two empirical strategies: dynamic panel regressions that test the instantaneous effect of smallpox epidemics on stillbirths; and a continuous treatment difference-in-difference strategy to test whether the reduction in smallpox prevalence following vaccination led to a larger decrease in the stillbirth rate in parishes where smallpox was more prevalent before vaccination. We find very little evidence that smallpox infection was a major cause of stillbirths in history. Our coefficients are largely insignificant and close to zero. This is because the vast majority of women contracted smallpox as children and therefore were no longer susceptible during pregnancy. We do find a small, statistically significant effect of smallpox on stillbirths from 1820-39 when waning immunity from vaccination put a greater share of pregnant women at risk of contracting smallpox. However, the reduced prevalence of smallpox limited the demographic impact. Thus, smallpox was not an important driver in historical stillbirth trends and did not contribute to in utero scarring effects for cohorts born when smallpox prevalence was high

Disease and child growth in industrialising Japan: critical windows and the growth pattern, 1917-39

This paper assesses how the disease environment, proxied by infant mortality rates, influenced children’s growth in interwar Japan. We use data drawn from government records from 1929 to 1939 which report the mean heights of boys and girls in school at each age (6-18) for each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. We focus on two key questions: 1) how important was the disease environment in infancy in shaping the growth pattern of children? and 2) were shocks to child health more salient in the first thousand days of life, often held as a critical window to prevent stunting, or at later ages? We quantify the characteristics of growth pattern of birth cohorts using the SITAR growth model and then relate the predicted SITAR parameters to infant mortality in the year of birth. In addition, we test for instantaneous effects of morbidity, proxied by infant mortality, on growth at ages 6-11. We find that infant mortality in early life did not have a strong influence on the growth pattern of children, but there were statistically significant and economically meaningful instantaneous effects of infant mortality on child height at ages 6-11 for both boys and girls. This suggests that interventions outside of the thousand-day critical window can be effective and that the secular increase in height in interwar Japan was more strongly influenced by cumulative responses to the health environment across child development rather than simply improvements in early life health

The Discovery of a Very Narrow-Line Star Forming Obat a Redshift of 5.66ject

We report on the discovery of a very narrow-line star forming object beyond redshift of 5. Using the prime-focus camera, Suprime-Cam, on the 8.2 m Subaru telescope together with a narrow-passband filter centered at $\lambda_{\rm c}$ = 8150 \AA with passband of $\Delta\lambda$ = 120 \AA, we have obtained a very deep image of the field surrounding the quasar SDSSp J104433.04$-$012502.2 at a redshift of 5.74. Comparing this image with optical broad-band images, we have found an object with a very strong emission line. Our follow-up optical spectroscopy has revealed that this source is at a redshift of $z=5.655\pm0.002$, forming stars at a rate $\sim 13 ~ h_{0.7}^{-2} ~ M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. Remarkably, the velocity dispersion of Ly$\alpha$-emitting gas is only 22 km s$^{-1}$. Since a blue half of the Ly$\alpha$ emission could be absorbed by neutral hydrogen gas, perhaps in the system, a modest estimate of the velocity dispersion may be $\gtrsim$ 44 km s$^{-1}$. Together with a linear size of 7.7 $h_{0.7}^{-1}$ kpc, we estimate a lower limit of the dynamical mass of this object to be $\sim 2 \times 10^9 M_\odot$. It is thus suggested that LAE J1044$-$0123 is a star-forming dwarf galaxy (i.e., a subgalactic object or a building block) beyond redshift 5 although we cannot exclude a possibility that most Ly$\alpha$ emission is absorbed by the red damping wing of neutral intergalactic matter.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. ApJ Letters, in pres

Nonlinear Optical Response Functions of Mott Insulators Based on Dynamical Mean Field Approximation

We investigate the nonlinear optical susceptibilities of Mott insulators with the dynamical mean field approximation. The two-photon absorption (TPA) and the third-harmonic generation (THG) spectra are calculated, and the classification by the types of coupling to external fields shows different behavior from conventional semiconductors. The direct transition terms are predominant both in the TPA and THG spectra, and the importance of taking all types of interaction with the external field into account is illustrated in connection with the THG spectrum and dcKerr effect. The dependence of the TPA and THG spectra on the Coulomb interaction indicate a scaling relation. We apply this relation to the quantitative evaluation and obtain results comparable to those of experiments.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figure

Ultrafast optical nonlinearity in quasi-one-dimensional Mott-insulator Sr2CuO3{\rm Sr_2CuO_3}

We report strong instantaneous photoinduced absorption (PA) in the quasi-one-dimensional Mott insulator ${\rm Sr_2CuO_3}$ in the IR spectral region. The observed PA is to an even-parity two-photon state that occurs immediately above the absorption edge. Theoretical calculations based on a two-band extended Hubbard model explains the experimental features and indicates that the strong two-photon absorption is due to a very large dipole-coupling between nearly degenerate one- and two-photon states. Room temperature picosecond recovery of the optical transparency suggests the strong potential of ${\rm Sr_2CuO_3}$ for all-optical switching.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Electronic structure and x-ray magnetic dichroism in random substitutional alloys of f-electron elements

The Koringa-Kohn-Rostoker —coherent-potential-approximation method combines multiple-scattering theory and the coherent-potential approximation to calculate the electronic structure of random substitutional alloys of transition metals. In this paper we describe the generalization of this theory to describe f-electron alloys. The theory is illustrated with a calculation of the electronic structure and magnetic dichroism curves for a random substitutional alloy containing rare-earth or actinide elements from first principles

Filmless versus film-based systems in radiographic examination costs: an activity-based costing method

Background: Since the shift from a radiographic film-based system to that of a filmless system, the change in radiographic examination costs and costs structure have been undetermined. The activity-based costing (ABC) method measures the cost and performance of activities, resources, and cost objects. The purpose of this study is to identify the cost structure of a radiographic examination comparing a filmless system to that of a film-based system using the ABC method. Methods: We calculated the costs of radiographic examinations for both a filmless and a film-based system, and assessed the costs or cost components by simulating radiographic examinations in a health clinic. The cost objects of the radiographic examinations included lumbar (six views), knee (three views), wrist (two views), and other. Indirect costs were allocated to cost objects using the ABC method. Results: The costs of a radiographic examination using a filmless system are as follows: lumbar 2,085 yen; knee 1,599 yen; wrist 1,165 yen; and other 1,641 yen. The costs for a film-based system are: lumbar 3,407 yen; knee 2,257 yen; wrist 1,602 yen; and other 2,521 yen. The primary activities were "calling patient," "explanation of scan," " take photographs," and "aftercare" for both filmless and film-based systems. The cost of these activities cost represented 36.0% of the total cost for a filmless system and 23.6% of a film-based system. Conclusions: The costs of radiographic examinations using a filmless system and a film-based system were calculated using the ABC method. Our results provide clear evidence that the filmless system is more effective than the film-based system in providing greater value services directly to patients

ECCD Experiment Using an Upgraded ECH System on LHD

Electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) is an attractive tool for controlling plasmas. In the large helical device (LHD), ECCD experiments have been performed by using an EC-wave power source, gyrotron, with a frequency of 84 GHz. The maximum driven current was ?9 kA with 100 kW injection power to plasma and 8 s duration of EC-wave pulse. These years, high-power and long-pulse 77 GHz gyrotrons were newly installed. An ECCD experiment with 775 kW injection power was performed. The 77 GHz waves of 8 s pulse duration sustained the plasmas. The EC-wave beam direction was scanned toroidally, keeping the beam direction aiming at the magnetic axis in X-mode polarization. In spite of the change in the EC-wave beam direction, plasma parameters such as the line-average electron density, the central electron temperature and the plasma stored energy were kept nearly the same values for the discharges, ?0.3 × 1019 m?3, ?3 keV and ?30 kJ, except for the plasma current. The plasma current showed a systematic change with the change in the beam direction for ECCD, and at an optimum direction with N// ? ?0.3, the plasma current reached its maximum, ?40 kA. Also, current drive efficiency normalized with density and power was improved by 50% compared with that at the former 84 GHz ECCD experiment

Bisphenol A exposure in Mexico City and risk of prematurity: a pilot nested case control study

Abstract Background Presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) has been documented worldwide in a variety of human biological samples. There is growing evidence that low level BPA exposure may impact placental tissue development and thyroid function in humans. The aim of this present pilot study was to determine urinary concentrations of BPA during the last trimester of pregnancy among a small subset of women in Mexico City, Mexico and relate these concentrations to risk of delivering prematurely. Methods A nested case-control subset of 60 participants in the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to ENvironmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) study in Mexico City, Mexico were selected based on delivering less than or equal to 37 weeks of gestation and greater than 37 weeks of gestation. Third trimester archived spot urine samples were analyzed by online solid phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Results BPA was detected in 80.0% (N = 48) of the urine samples; total concentrations ranged from < 0.4 μg/L to 6.7 μg/L; uncorrected geometric mean was 1.52 μg/L. The adjusted odds ratio of delivering less than or equal to 37 weeks in relation to specific gravity adjusted third trimester BPA concentration was 1.91 (95%CI 0.93, 3.91, p-value = 0.08). When cases were further restricted to births occurring prior to the 37th week (n = 12), the odds ratio for specific-gravity adjusted BPA was larger and statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions This is the first study to document measurable levels of BPA in the urine of a population of Mexican women. This study also provides preliminary evidence, based on a single spot urine sample collected during the third trimester, that pregnant women who delivered less than or equal to 37 weeks of gestation and prematurely (< 37 weeks) had higher urinary concentrations of BPA compared to women delivering after 37 weeks.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78251/1/1476-069X-9-62.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78251/2/1476-069X-9-62.pdfPeer Reviewe