On the capacity functional of excursion sets of Gaussian random fields on R2\R^2

When a random field $(X_t, \ t\in {\mathbb R}^2)$ is thresholded on a given level $u$, the excursion set is given by its indicator $~1_{[u, \infty)}(X_t)$. The purpose of this work is to study functionals (as established in stochastic geometry) of these random excursion sets, as e.g. the capacity functional as well as the second moment measure of the boundary length. It extends results obtained for the one-dimensional case to the two-dimensional case, with tools borrowed from crossings theory, in particular Rice methods, and from integral and stochastic geometry.Comment: 19 page

The Predictors of Physician-Patient Discussions of Sexual Health with Older Adults

The number of adults aged 65 years and over has been rising quickly, as has the rate of new onset sexually transmitted diseases within this population. Discussions of sexual health between physicians and older adults are currently lacking in frequency and effectiveness. Using the foundation of stereotype embodiment theory, the purpose of this study was to identify the factors that predict frequency of discussing sexual health with older adult patients. A comparative sample of geriatric physicians and family practitioners completed 2 researcher-developed questions and the Sexual Health Care Scale-Attitude tool that assessed their stereotype beliefs toward discussing sexual health with older adults using the 4 subscales--personal, patient, environmental, and colleague--and the frequency with which they discussed sexual health with their older adult patients. It was hypothesized that non-ageist attitudes would increase the frequency of discussions, and increase the personal factors, such as comfort level, of having such discussions. Multiple regression analysis and the chi-square test were used in data analysis. Frequency of sexual health discussions with older adult patients was dependent upon the physician type, age and gender, and how well the physician believed he or she had been educated to discuss sexual health with older adults. Comparatively, the geriatric physicians had more frequent discussions of sexual health with older adults than the family practitioners. The implications for social change include identifying the need for more specialized physician training in discussing sexual health with older adults to improve overall physical and emotional well-being of older adults and the study\u27s recommendations for future research

Molecular Identification of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in the Milwaukee County Institution Grounds Cemetery

The possibility of identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis in skeletal remains has been a debated topic for many years. This study utilizes the remains from the 1991 and 1992 excavations of the Milwaukee County Institution Grounds Cemetery, a collection of human skeletons ranging from 1882 to 1925, of various ages and sexes, to address that possibility. To test the utility of previously used methods of osteological identification of tuberculosis, the collection has been analyzed for the IS6110 repetitive element marker using molecular biological techniques, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Eighty-six skeletons from the collection have been analyzed, with nine of them showing evidence of skeletal tuberculosis. PCR has also been carried out with the oxyR marker to rule out Mycobacterium bovis contamination on all positive IS6110 samples. The goal of the study was to evaluate whether or not osteological identification of M. tuberculosis is possible and whether it can be confirmed using molecular biological techniques

That Other Form of Madness: A Multidisciplinary Study of Infectious Disease Within the Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery

Between the years of 1882 and 1925, the Milwaukee County Poor Farm buried several thousand members of Milwaukee’s indigent population in what would later be designated Cemetery II. In 1991 and early 1992, after discovery of the cemetery during construction of parts of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, 1,649 burials were excavated. The graves had long been abandoned and the headstones bulldozed, leaving a register of burials without any obvious way of associating each individual with their identity. A copy of the register is curated at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archaeological Research Laboratory. The Milwaukee County Poor Farm was a vast complex of buildings that included a county hospital, a tuberculosis sanitarium, an orphanage, and housing for the poor. The graves typify those of pauper burials, containing few grave goods and therefore few ways in which to reassociate the individuals with their names. My dissertation is one of many collaborative projects that focus on the Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery and aims to restore as much identity and humanity as is possible to these long forgotten, disenfranchised citizens of Milwaukee County. My contribution to this project is to use traditional bioarchaeological methods, combined with molecular biology, and incorporate material culture analysis and historical research to provide a comprehensive look at what it was like to live in the early 20th century in Milwaukee County as a pauper with an infectious disease. This dissertation also presents molecular biological data from dental calculus rather than bone tissue as a way of moving away from destructive analysis for DNA work in bioarchaeology. In order to apply molecular biological techniques to archaeological material, it is typical to rely on extracting DNA from bone tissue, since other material may not be available. Regardless of how much bone is needed, and for ancient DNA in particular this can be up to a gram, this is a destructive technique that is being applied to an individual’s remains in most instances without their consent. Dental calculus, calcified dental plaque, is now being explored as a way of obtaining DNA from a deceased individual that would not destroy any of that person’s biological material. However, with the ability to analyze the DNA from a deceased person can come the assumption that we have all of the information that we need about them and their cause of death. This dissertation takes a holistic approach to bioarchaeology and combines the discussion of post-mortem agency and theories of suffering to advocate for a new paradigm for bioarchaeological work. In order to meet the aforementioned goals, I developed a multi-scalar research protocol. First, I analyzed the individuals from the MCPFC who had vertebrae present to look for signs of tuberculosis. I then extracted bone and dental calculus from their remains and extracted DNA from both sources. I used Polymerase Chain Reaction to examine the extracted DNA for evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Brucella species, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The results from this DNA analysis were analyzed using Fisher’s Exact Tests and were combined with the material culture data from the 1991/1992 excavations. Finally, in order to support the goals of this dissertation and of the larger MCPFC project, I used the data at hand to reconstruct the lives of the poor who suffered and died from infectious diseases in a time before effective treatment was available

Similarity Search for Spatial Trajectories Using Online Lower Bounding DTW and Presorting Strategies

Similarity search with respect to time series has received much attention from research and industry in the last decade. Dynamic time warping is one of the most widely used distance measures in this context. This is due to the simplicity of its definition and the surprising quality of dynamic time warping for time series classification. However, dynamic time warping is not well-behaving with respect to many dimensionality reduction techniques as it does not fulfill the triangle inequality. Additionally, most research on dynamic time warping has been performed with one-dimensional time series or in multivariate cases of varying dimensions. With this paper, we propose three extensions to LB_Rotation for two-dimensional time series (trajectories). We simplify LB_Rotation and adapt it to the online and data streaming case and show how to tune the pruning ratio in similarity search by using presorting strategies based on simple summaries of trajectories. Finally, we provide a thorough valuation of these aspects on a large variety of datasets of spatial trajectories

Stimulation of DNA synthesis in rat and mouse liver by various tumor promoters

In order to investigate whether the stimulation of liver DNA synthesis might be used to detect one class of hepatic tumor promoters, the incorporation of orally administered radio-labelled thymidine into liver DNA was determined in rats and mice 24 h after a single oral gavage of test compounds at various dose levels. Three DNA-binding hepatocarcinogens, aflatoxin B1,- benzidine and carbon tetrachloride, did not stimulate but rather inhibited DNA synthesis (not for CCl4 Four hepatic tumor promoters, clofibrate, DDT, phenobarbital and thioacetainide, gave rise to a stimulation in a dose-dependent manner. Single oral doses between 0.02 and 0.3 mmol/kg were required to double the level of thymidine incorporation into liver DNA (= doubling dose, DD). Differences between species or sex as obsserved in long-term carcinogenicity studies were reflected by a different stimulation of liver DNA synthesis. In agreement with the bioassay data, aldrin was positive only in male mice (DD = 0.007 mmol/kg) but not in male rats or female mice. 2,3,7,8-TCDD was positive in male mice (DD = 10−6 mmol/kg) and in female rats (DD = 2 × 10−6 mmol/kg) but not in male rats. The assay was also able to distinguish between structural isomers with different carcinogenicities. [alpha]Hexchlorocyclohexane stimulated liver DNA synthesis with a doubling dose of about 0.2 mmol/kg in male rats whereas the [gamma]-isomer was ineffective even at 1 mmol/kg. So far, only one result was inconsistent with carcinogenicity bioassay data. The different carcinogenicity of di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (negative in rats) and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (positive) was not detectable. Both plasticizers were positive in this short-term system with DD's of 0.7 mmol/kg for DEHA and 0.5 mmol/kg for DEHP. The proposed assay is discussed as an attempt to devise short-term assays for carcinogens not detected by the routine genotoxicity test system

The Role of Formylpeptide Receptors, C5a Receptors, and Cytosolic-Free Calcium in Neutrophil Priming

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) exposed to chemoattractants or cytokines change their functional capacity. The effect of endotoxin-activated serum as a priming agent on humanPMNL was tested. PretreatmentofPMNL with endotoxin-activated serum increased their oxidative burst in response to formylpeptide (FMLP) (P<.02)and CSa (P<.05). Priming for membrane depolarization was observed in PMNL preincubated with either endotoxin-activated serum, low concentrations of purified C5a, or endotoxin but not with decomplemented plasma. Primed PMNL had an increased number of FMLP but not C5a receptors as compared with control PMNL. The "resting” cytosolic freecalcium was increased in primed PMNL (P<.02). Intracellular calcium buffering abolished the priming effect of endotoxin-activated serum. Thus, endotoxin-activated serum can prime cellular responsiveness for membrane depolarization and superoxide production in response to FMLP and to C5a. Priming may be due to an increased resting cytosolic-free calciu

Function of Soluble CD14 in Serum from Patients with Septic Shock

Soluble CD14 (sCD14) mediates lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation of epithelial cells in vitro and may thereby be harmful in sepsis.sCD14 function was analyzed in sera from 62 patients with septic shock and compared with data from appropriate controls. sCD14 function was measured as sCD14-dependentLPS-induced interleukin (IL)-8 release in the SW620 epithelial cell line. In these cells, IL-8 production correlated with LPS concentration and the amount of sCD14. The effect of natural or recombinant sCD14 was maximal at 100 ng/mL and blocked by anti-CD14 antibodies. Patient and control sera (0.5% final concentration) promoted induction of IL-8 by 100 ng/mL LPS in SW620 cells. In sepsis patients (highest serum sCD14), values were significantly higher than in the other groups. The LPS-induced IL-8 response was blocked by anti-CD14 and correlated with the serum CD14 level in sepsis patients. Thus, sCD14 could playa pathogenetic role in sepsi