Political trials and the suppression of popular radicalism in England, 1799-1820

This chapter examines the decision-making process between the Home Office and the government’s law officers in prosecuting individuals for sedition and treason in the period 1799–1820. The term state trial suggests a more centralised and government-led repression of popular radicalism than the process was in practice. Provincial reformers also faced the complex layers of their local justice system, which was more loyalist, committed to stamping out political radicalism. The trial of the “Thirty Eight” Manchester radicals in June 1812 demonstrates the mutable definitions of treason, sedition and processes of justice in the theatre of the court.Peer reviewe

Characterization of wood-adhesive bonds in wet conditions by means of nanoindentation and tensile shear strength

The performance of adhesive-hardwood bonds can often be sensitive to humidity and temperature variation. Therefore, it is frequently challenging to achieve standard requirements for structural applications. To gain a better understanding of the wood-adhesive bond, the properties of the individual constituents as well as the local interface of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood cell walls in contact with structural adhesives were analyzed by means of nanoindentation. These results are compared to classical lap-shear strength. As adhesives two different one-component polyurethane adhesives (1C PUR) and a phenol resorcinol formaldehyde adhesive (PRF) were used. In one case, the beech wood was additionally pre-treated with an adhesion-promoting agent (primer) prior to bonding with 1C PUR. Beech wood joints were analyzed subsequent to several treatments, namely standard climate, after wet storage and in re-dried conditions. In addition, the influence of the primer on the hydroxyl accessibility of beech wood was investigated with dynamic vapor sorption (DVS). The lap-shear strength revealed good performance in dry and re-dried conditions for all adhesives on beech. Both polyurethane adhesives obtained deficits when tested in wet conditions. The use of a primer significantly improved the PUR performance in wet condition. DVS experiment demonstrated a decrease in hydroxyl group accessibility when using a high primer concentration. As novelty, nanoindentation was used for the first time to characterize the local wood–adhesive-interface properties in wet conditions. Nanoindentation showed that all tested 1C PUR perform quite similar in room climate, while PRF achieves considerable higher values for reduced E-modulus and hardness. Wet storage led to a considerable reduction in mechanical properties for all adhesives, while the highest relative change was observed for PRF. After re-drying, the adhesives re-gained a large part of their original mechanical properties in room climate. No distinct effect of the primer on the local micromechanical properties could be detected with nanoindentation in terms of specific work of indentation

Impact of degree truncation on the spread of a contagious process on networks

Understanding how person-to-person contagious processes spread through a population requires accurate information on connections between population members. However, such connectivity data, when collected via interview, is often incomplete due to partial recall, respondent fatigue or study design, e.g., fixed choice designs (FCD) truncate out-degree by limiting the number of contacts each respondent can report. Past research has shown how FCD truncation affects network properties, but its implications for predicted speed and size of spreading processes remain largely unexplored. To study the impact of degree truncation on predictions of spreading process outcomes, we generated collections of synthetic networks containing specific properties (degree distribution, degree-assortativity, clustering), and also used empirical social network data from 75 villages in Karnataka, India. We simulated FCD using various truncation thresholds and ran a susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) process on each network. We found that spreading processes propagated on truncated networks resulted in slower and smaller epidemics, with a sudden decrease in prediction accuracy at a level of truncation that varied by network type. Our results have implications beyond FCD to truncation due to any limited sampling from a larger network. We conclude that knowledge of network structure is important for understanding the accuracy of predictions of process spread on degree truncated networks

State-level income inequality and mortality among infants born in the United States 2007-2010: A Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: United States state-level income inequality is positively associated with infant mortality in ecological studies. We exploit spatiotemporal variations in a large dataset containing individual-level data to conduct a cohort study and to investigate whether current income inequality and increases in income inequality are associated with infant and neonatal mortality risk over the period of the 2007-2010 Great Recession in the United States. METHODS: We used data on 16,145,716 infants and their mothers from the 2007-2010 United States Statistics Linked Infant Birth and Death Records. Multilevel logistic regression was used to determine whether 1) US state-level income inequality, as measured by Z-transformed Gini coefficients in the year of birth and 2) change in Gini coefficient between 1990 and year of birth (2007-2010), predicted infant or neonatal mortality. Our analyses adjusted for both individual and state-level covariates. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2010 there were 98,002 infant deaths: an infant mortality rate of 6.07 infant deaths per 1000 live births. When controlling for state and individual level characteristics, there was no significant relationship between Gini Z-score and infant mortality risk. However, the observed increase in the Gini Z-score was associated with a small but significant increase likelihood of infant mortality (AOR = 1.03 to 1.06 from 2007 to 2010). Similar findings were observed when the neonatal mortality was the outcome (AOR = 1.05 to 1.13 from 2007 to 2010). CONCLUSIONS: Infants born in states with greater changes in income inequality between 1990 and 2007 to 2010 experienced a greater likelihood of infant and neonatal mortality

The progestin receptor interactome in the female mouse hypothalamus: Interactions with synaptic proteins are isoform specific and ligand dependent

Progestins bind to the progestin receptor (PR) isoforms, PR-A and PR-B, in brain to influence development, female reproduction, anxiety, and stress. Hormone-activated PRs associate with multiple proteins to form functional complexes. In the present study, proteins from female mouse hypothalamus that associate with PR were isolated using affinity pull-down assays with glutathione S-transferase–tagged mouse PR-A and PR-B. Using complementary proteomics approaches, reverse phase protein array (RPPA) and mass spectrometry, we identified hypothalamic proteins that interact with PR in a ligand-dependent and isoform-specific manner and were confirmed by Western blot. Synaptic proteins, including synapsin-I and synapsin-II, interacted with agonist-bound PR isoforms, suggesting that both isoforms function in synaptic plasticity. In further support, synaptogyrin-III and synapsin-III associated with PR-A and PR-B, respectively. PR also interacted with kinases, including c-Src, mTOR, and MAPK1, confirming phosphorylation as an integral process in rapid effects of PR in the brain. Consistent with a role in transcriptional regulation, PR associated with transcription factors and coactivators in a ligand-specific and isoform-dependent manner. Interestingly, both PR isoforms associated with a key regulator of energy homeostasis, FoxO1, suggesting a novel role for PR in energy metabolism. Because many identified proteins in this PR interactome are synaptic proteins, we tested the hypothesis that progestins function in synaptic plasticity. Indeed, progesterone enhanced synaptic density, by increasing synapsin-I–positive synapses, in rat primary cortical neuronal cultures. This novel combination of RPPA and mass spectrometry allowed identification of PR action in synaptic remodeling and energy homeostasis and reveals unique roles for progestins in brain function and disease

Effect of weighting for sampling and non-response on estimates of STI prevalence in the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3)

OBJECTIVES: In addition to researcher-designed sampling biases, population-representative surveys for biomarker measurement of STIs often have substantial missingness due to non-contact, non-consent and other study-implementation issues. STI prevalence estimates may be biased if this missingness is related to STI risk. We investigated how accounting for sampling, interview non-response and non-provision of biological samples affects prevalence estimates in the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3). METHODS: Natsal-3 was a multistage, clustered and stratified probability sample of 16–74 year-olds conducted between 2010 and 2012. Individuals were sampled from all private residential addresses in Britain; respondents aged 16–44 were further sampled to provide a urine specimen based on characteristics including self-reported sexual behaviours. We generated prevalence estimates and confidence intervals for six STIs in five stages: first without accounting for sampling or non-response, then applying inverse-probability weights cumulatively accounting for interview sampling, interview non-response, urine sampling and urine non-response. RESULTS: Interview non-completion occurred for 42.3% of interview-sampled individuals; urine non-completion occurred for 43.5% of urine-sampled individuals. Interview-sampled individuals, interview respondents, those selected for urine samples and those providing urine samples were each in turn slightly more at-risk for most STIs, leading to lower prevalence estimates after incorporating each set of weights. Researcher-controlled sampling had more impact than respondent-controlled response. CONCLUSIONS: Accounting for both sampling structures and willingness to interview or provide urine specimens can affect national STI prevalence estimates. Using both types of weights, as was done in Natsal-3, is important in reporting on population-based biomarker surveys

Sequestered Dark Matter

We show that hidden-sector dark matter is a generic feature of the type IIB string theory landscape and that its lifetime may allow for a discovery through the observation of very energetic gamma-rays produced in the decay. Throats or, equivalently, conformally sequestered hidden sectors are common in flux compactifications and the energy deposited in these sectors can be calculated if the reheating temperature of the standard model sector is known. Assuming that throats with various warp factors are available in the compact manifold, we determine which throats maximize the late-time abundance of sequestered dark matter. For such throats, this abundance agrees with cosmological data if the standard model reheating temperature was 10^10 - 10^11 GeV. In two distinct scenarios, the mass of dark matter particles, i.e. the IR scale of the throat, is either around 10^5 GeV or around 10^10 GeV. The lifetime and the decay channels of our dark matter candidates depend crucially on the fact that the Klebanov-Strassler throat is supersymmetric. Furthermore, the details of supersymmetry breaking both in the throat and in the visible sector play an essential role. We identify a number of scenarios where this type of dark matter can be discovered via gamma-ray observations.Comment: 36 pages, 3 figures; v2: references added, v3: introduction extended and typos correcte

Activation of the galanin receptor 2 in the periphery reverses nerve injury-induced allodynia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Galanin is expressed at low levels in the intact sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia with a dramatic increase after peripheral nerve injury. The neuropeptide is also expressed in primary afferent terminals in the dorsal horn, spinal inter-neurons and in a number of brain regions known to modulate nociception. Intrathecal administration of galanin modulates sensory responses in a dose-dependent manner with inhibition at high doses. To date it is unclear which of the galanin receptors mediates the anti-nociceptive effects of the neuropeptide and whether their actions are peripherally and/or centrally mediated. In the present study we investigated the effects of direct administration into the receptive field of galanin and the galanin receptor-2/3-agonist Gal2-11 on nociceptive primary afferent mechanical responses in intact rats and mice and in the partial saphenous nerve injury (PSNI) model of neuropathic pain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Exogenous galanin altered the responses of mechano-nociceptive C-fibre afferents in a dose-dependent manner in both naive and nerve injured animals, with low concentrations facilitating and high concentrations markedly inhibiting mechano-nociceptor activity. Further, use of the galanin fragment Gal2-11 confirmed that the effects of galanin were mediated by activation of galanin receptor-2 (GalR2). The inhibitory effects of peripheral GalR2 activation were further supported by our demonstration that after PSNI, mechano-sensitive nociceptors in galanin over-expressing transgenic mice had significantly higher thresholds than in wild type animals, associated with a marked reduction in spontaneous neuronal firing and C-fibre barrage into the spinal cord.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the high level of endogenous galanin in injured primary afferents activates peripheral GalR2, which leads to an increase in C-fibre mechanical activation thresholds and a marked reduction in evoked and ongoing nociceptive responses.</p

Energy Transfer between Throats from a 10d Perspective

Strongly warped regions, also known as throats, are a common feature of the type IIB string theory landscape. If one of the throats is heated during cosmological evolution, the energy is subsequently transferred to other throats or to massless fields in the unwarped bulk of the Calabi-Yau orientifold. This energy transfer proceeds either by Hawking radiation from the black hole horizon in the heated throat or, at later times, by the decay of throat-localized Kaluza-Klein states. In both cases, we calculate in a 10d setup the energy transfer rate (respectively decay rate) as a function of the AdS scales of the throats and of their relative distance. Compared to existing results based on 5d models, we find a significant suppression of the energy transfer rates if the size of the embedding Calabi-Yau orientifold is much larger than the AdS radii of the throats. This effect can be partially compensated by a small distance between the throats. These results are relevant, e.g., for the analysis of reheating after brane inflation. Our calculation employs the dual gauge theory picture in which each throat is described by a strongly coupled 4d gauge theory, the degrees of freedom of which are localized at a certain position in the compact space.Comment: 25 pages; a comment adde