We tested the hypothesis that labor-induced epinephrine release would stimulate alveolar fluid clearance in preterm fetuses. Preterm fetuses were obtained by cesarean section from timed-pregnant guinea pigs at 61-69 days postconception. Fetal guinea pigs were euthanized and placed on continuous positive airway pressure oxygenation, and an isosmolar 5% albumin solution was instilled. Alveolar fl...

We develop a model of human capital formation with endogenous labor supply and heterogeneous agents to explore the optimal level of education subsidies along with the optimal schedule of the labor income tax. If the government can observe inputs into the production of human capital, subsidies on education ensure efficiency in human capital accumulation and labor taxes are more progressive than ...

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a potent vasodilator and relaxes smooth muscle of a variety of tissues, but the effects of CGRP on human myometrial contractions and the changes in CGRP receptors (CGRP-Rs) in human myometrium have not been described. We report that CGRP induced dose-dependent relaxation in spontaneously contracting myometrium from pregnant women. This relaxation effect...

In 1942, all Japanese were evacuated from the West Coast and incarcerated in internment camps. To investigate the long-run economic consequences of this historic episode, I exploit the fact that Hawaiian Japanese were not subject to mass internment. I find that the labor market withdrawal induced by the internment reduced the annual earnings of males by as much as nine to thirteen percent twent...

Preterm birth remains the most common cause of perinatal mortality. Although the causes of preterm labor are multifactorial and vary according to gestational age, preterm labor and term labor share common cellular and molecular mechanisms, including stimulation of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and endocrine/immune system interactions. We have developed a non-human primate ...

OBJECTIVE To test the effectiveness and safety of low-dose vaginal misoprostol for induction of labor with a live fetus. METHODS Labor was induced in 666 pregnant women with a live fetus in the cephalic position, who had no medical complications and no history of uterine surgery. One-fourth of a 200-micrograms tablet of misoprostol (50 micrograms) was placed in the posterior vaginal fornix ev...

Labor market responses to trade liberalization typically exhibit a slow reallocation of labor across industries, large costs for displaced workers, and a disproportionate adjustment burden for older workers. To explain these features and analyze alternative policies, I develop a two-sector small open economy model with overlapping generations, frictional labor markets, and sector-specific human...

OBJECTIVE Prostaglandins (PGs) are key regulators of cervical dilatation and membrane breakdown at the onset of labor. PG synthase and receptor expression has been previously documented in uterine tissues; however, mechanisms governing the changes occurring in the cervix and amnion are less well established. The aim of the current study was to determine the level of expression of PG synthetic e...