This gaudy, gilded stage

My dissertation explores the ideological meanings attached to the Court Wits’ representations of libertine figures in their plays during the 1670s. In describing the Marquis de Sade, Michel Foucault wrote, the libertine is he who, while yielding to all the fantasies of desire and to each of its furies, can, but also must, illuminate their slightest movement with a lucid and deliberately elucidated representation (Order 209). This definition is equally true for the Restoration Court Wits, an elite fraternity of literary and political figures known for their hedonistic philosophy and Epicurean lifestyles that included George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham; John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester; Sir Charles Sedley; Sir George Etherege; and William Wycherley. Not the least part of these lifestyles was a cultural posing, a penchant for self-consciously theatrical affectations and adventures.= Throughout their literary works, and especially their dramas, the members of this coterie drew upon their infamous reputations in order to cast versions of themselves as the central figures in the theater of Restoration court life. In particular, I argue that the Wits use these figures to resist the limitations imposed by aristocratic ideology\u27s rhetoric of national heroism and progressive ideology\u27s articulation of innate virtue. I conclude that these playwrights employ rhetorical strategies to expose the ideological limitations of their day and, in doing so, resist their culture\u27s move toward what Foucault calls bourgeois sexuality. To demonstrate this thesis, I examine nine plays written by members of this circle. Chapter One introduces the Court Wits\u27 fraternity and defines what I mean by the aristocratic, progressive, and libertine ideologies. Chapter Two argues that Buckingham\u27s The Rehearsal deploys libertine ideology in the form of epideictic rhetoric to respond to aristocratic ideology\u27s discourse of national heroism, transforming heroic drama into farce through gender parody and thereby undermining its claim to verisimilitude. Chapter Three studies Wycherley\u27s early comedies, Love in a Wood, The Gentleman Dancing Master, and The Country Wife, to argue that these plays serve as a kind of deliberative rhetoric, a use of art to explore the possibilities of libertine ideology to reshape aristocratic society at this time. In particular, Wycherley employs libertine ideology in these plays to reject progressive ideology\u27s argument that honor is a virtue that anyone could cultivate through introspection and moral behavior. Chapter Three examines the rhetorical choices of Etherege and Wycherley in The Man of Mode and The Plain Dealer, respectively, arguing that each turns away from radical libertinism and embraces an integration of the libertine into society\u27s institutions. Chapter Five analyzes plays by Rochester and Sedley to demonstrate that each pushes libertine ideology to its most extreme limits in order to test whether it remains a viable alternative to aristocratic and progressive ideologies. Although Rochester and Sedley maintain that libertinism is such an alternative, by 1680 the Wits\u27 fraternity and their experimentation with libertinism disintegrates as its members find themselves aligned with different political factions during and after the Exclusion Crisis of the later 1670s

Reasons for overwinter declines in age-1+ brook trout populations (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Appalachian headwater streams

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Appalachian Mountains are an important game species in West Virginia, yet angling mortality on these populations in headwater streams is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine relative changes in body composition of brook trout as they fluctuate throughout the year, and to identify critical periods of survival to determine if brook trout reach critical levels of resource depletion over winter, and (2) evaluate whether angler harvest affects brook trout populations in spring in headwater streams. Body composition estimates indicated that brook trout are unlikely to reach critical levels of resource depletion over winter. Anglers that indicated a preference for native brook trout had a mean catch of 4.5 trout per fishing trip, and this group preferred keeping trout as small as 7.1 inches on average. In addition, decreases in brook trout population abundance coupled with high angler effort likely lead to a decrease in the number of large brook trout present in the study streams

Predation of a brown bat (Vespertilionidae) by a Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans) in Ontario, Canada

On 31 July 2019, a Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans) was observed consuming a Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) at Meux Creek, Neustadt, Ontario. The bat was likely roosting at a nearby undercut bank when it was predated by the frog, which required nearly 90 min to consume its prey. This is the first record of a Green Frog consuming a bat species in Canada

The zonation of Carp Lake River and the fish species that occupy each region.

The purpose of this study was to understand how abiotic factors change along Carp Lake River and how these factors influence species abundance and distribution. Temperature, velocity, pH, conductivity, depth, nutrient levels, dissolved oxygen concentration, slope, and substrate were measured at four sites along the stream. The species of fish sound at each site were also recorded. We found that groundwater inputs at the third site had a significant impact on the abiotic factors observed. We explored the relationships between the observed trends in abiotic factors and the variation in species diversity over the course of the stream. This study concludes that differences in velocity, substrate, and depth influence the distribution of fish species along Carp Lake River. The presence of a lake at both ends of the stream also influenced species distribution.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/54712/1/3153.pd

LMDA New & Noteworthy, November 2017

Contents include: Q & A: Amy Stoller; Q & A: Andrea Kovich; Events/Announcements.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1013/thumbnail.jp

Understanding management practices for biomass harvest equipment for commercial scale operation

As second generation biofuels approach commercial scale production, a large fleet of harvesting equipment is required to meet feedstock demand. In the Midwest United States, agricultural residue, such as corn stover, has been identified as a readily available feedstock. Multi-pass corn stover harvest requires the in-field operations of shredding, baling, and stacking. Proper management practices are required to keep machines running at maximum efficiency in order to reduce cost and harvest enough material to meet processing demand. This need for management becomes increasing important as production levels reach commercial scale levels. This study looked at management practices of several individual harvest crews across an entire harvest season. Data was collected from multiple machines, including balers, shredders, and stackers during the 2013 and 2014 fall harvests. The controller area network (CAN) bus system was utilized to record machine data that was linked to specific GPS coordinates within a given field. The information was then analyzed to identify controllable metrics, such as machine productivity, daily bale production, and bale density. Recognizing these controllable metrics will improve overall logistics as production reaches full scale and reduce overall costs. A techno-economic analysis was executed to quantify cost as performance and quality changed

Interleukin 2 Receptor Antagonists for Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background: Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists (IL2Ra) are used as induction therapy for prophylaxis against acute rejection in kidney transplant recipients. Use of IL2Ra has increased steadily, with 38% of new kidney transplant recipients in the United States, and 23% in Australasia receiving IL2Ra in 2002. Objectives: This study aims to systematically identify and summarise the effects of using an IL2Ra, as an addition to standard therapy, or as an alternative to other antibody therapy. Search strategy: The Cochrane Renal Group's specialised register (June 2003), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (in The Cochrane Library issue 3, 2002), MEDLINE (1966-November 2002) and EMBASE (1980-November 2002). Reference lists and abstracts of conference proceedings and scientific meetings were hand-searched from 1998-2003. Trial groups, authors of included reports and drug manufacturers were contacted. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in all languages comparing IL2Ra to placebo, no treatment, other IL2Ra or other antibody therapy. Data collection and analysis: Data was extracted and quality assessed independently by two reviewers, with differences resolved by discussion. Dichotomous outcomes are reported as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Main results: One hundred and seventeen reports from 38 trials involving 4893 participants were included. Where IL2Ra were compared with placebo (17 trials; 2786 patients), graft loss was not significantly different at one (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.04) or three years (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.22). Acute rejection (AR) was significantly reduced at six months (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.74) and at one year (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.75). At one year, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.03) and malignancy (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.36) were not significantly different. Where IL2Ra were compared with other antibody therapy no significant differences in treatment effects were demonstrated, but adverse effects strongly favoured IL2Ra. Reviewer's conclusions: Given a 40% risk of rejection, seven patients would need treatment with IL2Ra to prevent one patient having rejection, with no definite improvement in graft or patient survival. There is no apparent difference between basiliximab and daclizumab. IL2Ra are as effective as other antibody therapies and with significantly fewer side effect