Electoral politics in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, 1832 - 1885

The aim of this study Is to paint a comprehensive picture of electoral politics during a period of significant historical change. By focusing on a small, open, two- member borough, it is hoped that an evaluation can be made of the various developments which took place in the English electoral system between the Reform Act of 1832 and the Redistribution Act of 1885. In order to achieve this, It was decided to examine five different aspects of Berwick's parliamentary representation during these years, namely, the candidates, the electors, election procedure, election Issues and electoral corruption. At the same time It was necessary to refer to other Investigations Into electoral politics, so that the Berwick experience could be placed in a national context. Chapter 1 takes account of recent work on electoral history and considers some of the methodological and conceptual problems Involved In the study of nineteenth-century electoral politics. Chapter 2 traces the development of the political press in the Victorian era and suggests that, despite the problem of political bias, newspapers can provide the historian with valuable Insights Into the conduct of nineteenth-century electoral politics. Chapter 3 discusses the selection procedure for parliamentary candidates and examines the personal qualities that were considered desirable In a candidate. It then attempts to analyse the extent to which these qualities contributed to the electoral success of a candidate. Chapter 4 examines the nature and voting behaviour of the Berwick electorate between 1832 and 1874. With the help of poll books, which recorded the way In which Individual electors voted, It is possible to discover useful Information on such features as the size and occupational composition of the electorate, electoral participation, the voting behaviour of occupational categories, cross-party voting, voting consistency and the voting preferences of freemen and ten-pound householders. Chapter 5 examines the ceremonial aspects of elections, beginning with the registration of voters and ending with the post-election entertainments. Elections were a major event In the life of the community, involving electors and non-electors alike. However, by the end of the period electoral procedure had become less ritualistic, and the part played by the disfranchised had been severely restricted. The chapter discusses these changes and the legislation which brought them about

Triangulation Rangefinder and Sight Positioning System

A rangefinder includes an angle sensitive transducer and a programmed data processor to calculate the distance to a target. In one embodiment, the rangefinder also includes a point-to-point measuring device. Another embodiment provides a linear actuator to selectively move a sight indicator vertically. A yet additional embodiment includes a liquid crystal display which displays information to the user

Interrogating a Thin Layer of Heterogeneity with Confocal Transducers

This is an expository summary of our work [1] building a mathematical model of scanned acoustic imaging of complicated solid-solid interfaces comprised of scatterers at several length scales, many of which are less than a wavelength. We construct an approximate two dimensional model of a scanned confocal acoustic imaging arrangement operating in a transmission or reflection mode using anti-plane shear or SH waves. Further, we suggest how the sound scattered from the interface is mapped into the sound collected by the transducers. The scalar approximation, while restrictive, still captures many of the basic ideas, ideas that we are at present extending to a three dimensional calculation

Triangulation Rangefinder for Archers

An archery rangefinder for use from an elevated position comprises a power supply for an electronic digital panel meter and a power supply for two voltage divider circuits that comprise the rangefinding circuit. One voltage divider provides a voltage signal proportional to the elevation distance. This signal acts to supply the second voltage divider to attenuate the voltage further by a factor proportional to the tangent of the inclination angle. A weighted pendulum arm is attached to a potentiometric element in the second voltage divider to effect feedback relevant to the angle of inclination. All circuits and components are housed within an outer protective enclosure. Voltage across a fixed resistor in the second voltage divider is read and displayed by said digital panel meter as the range which is then used by the archer to increase accuracy of shots

British Situation Comedy and "The Culture of the New Capitalism"

Television StudiesThis study examines British television situation comedy over the last fifteen years and analyses the genre as part of a discourse about the nature of modernity. In this period globalisation, technology and the rapid reassessment of formerly established social structures have created new modes of everyday existence that represent significant changes to people’s lives. The thesis argues that contemporary sitcoms address these shifts in social understanding and anxieties about contemporary British life. A wide range of texts are discussed, four in particular detail; Peep Show, Love Soup, Saxondale and Home Time; which explicitly try to form a dialogue with their audience about living in modernity. The thesis largely takes a methodological approach from Television Studies, referencing scholars from the discipline, in particular John Ellis’s concepts of “working through” and employing a significant amount of textual analysis. Chapter two looks at the context of television in this changing world and chapter three analyses how sitcom as a genre has redefined its forms. Chapter four identifies the importance of ‘tone’ in comedy and analyses how modernity demands new modes of address for comedy to meet the expectations of its audience. The study demonstrates how texts balance new approaches with continuities drawn from the existing sitcom tradition. In order to interrogate the nature of social change and its effects, chapter one engages with the work of a number of social theorists. In particular it analyses the recent writings of Richard Sennett and Zygmunt Bauman, who identify contemporary life as “the culture of the new capitalism” and “liquid modernity” respectively. They consider how such change might affect how individuals feel about themselves and their place in society. Throughout, the thesis demonstrates how this work might be applied to the study of sitcom and combines social theory with a detailed analysis of this television form in transformation, arguing that sitcom remains a resonant site for audiences to participate in a productive discourse about how we live today

Case study : the KJEF student video news

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact and effectiveness of a student video news project that was initiated in the fall of 1998 as the result of receiving a McElroy Trust Fund grant. A secondary purpose was to determine whether the student video news production was more effective than the traditional approach where the principal used the public address system. Three questionnaires were used to solicit input from school staff and students. The staff was surveyed in the spring of 1999 and 2000 whereas students were surveyed in December 1999 after one year of production. Results were conclusive that the student video news production was more successful in year two than in year one in 1) informing, 2) educating and 3) entertaining viewers. Also approximately four-fifths of all staff and students surveyed indicated that the student video news production was more effective than the principal communicating to students via the public address system

Activation of the LH receptor up regulates the type 2 adiponectin receptor in human granulosa cells

PURPOSE: Adiponectin is a predominantly adipocyte-derived hormone which influences insulin sensitivity and energy homeostasis through at least two receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2. In animal models, adiponectin may regulate ovarian steroidogenesis, folliculogenesis, and ovulation. The receptors AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 are present in the human ovary, but their regulation is unknown. In these studies, we determined the effects of LH receptor activation on the expression and function of the two adiponectin receptors in human granulosa cells. METHODS: Granulosa cells were obtained at the time of oocyte retrieval in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Cells were isolated and cultured for 48 h in DMEM/F12 medium with 5 % FBS and 50 ug/ml gentamicin. Medium was changed to low serum for 12 h and cells were treated with hCG (100 ng/ml), forskolin (30 μMol/L), or FSH (1 IU/ml) for 24 h for mRNA experiments. mRNA was isolated and RT PCR was performed using Taqman assays and quantification with the delta delta CT method. For immunocytochemistry, cells were grown on chamber slides and treated with hCG for 1 to 24 h and fixed with acetone. ICC was performed with polyclonal rabbit primary antibodies followed by alexa fluor goat anti-rabbit antibody and imaging with a fluorescence microscope and Zeiss software analysis. 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3βHSD) enzyme activity was determined by measuring the progesterone produced when cells were provided with an excess of 22-hydroxy-cholesterol as substrate following an incubation with hCG (1 IU/ml) and/or adiponectin (10 ng/ml). Progesterone content in the media was determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Messenger RNA for the two Adiponectin receptors is differentially regulated by activation of LHR with hCG treatment. AdipoR2 was increased nearly 4-fold (p < 0.05), whereas AdipoR1 expression was not changed by hCG treatment. Treatment with either FSH or forskolin (an activator of cAMP) had similar effects. Basal AdipoR2 protein was fairly low in granulosa cells in culture however treatment of cells with hCG resulted in a discernible increase in immunodetectable cytoplasmic protein as early as 6 h after treatment and was maintained for at least 24 h. The number of cells positive for AdipoR2 at 6 h increased from a basal of 20 % to almost 60 % (p < 0.05). Adiponectin treatment of hCG-primed cells resulted in increased 3βHSD activity by approximately 60 % over hCG alone and more than 3-fold over basal levels. CONCLUSIONS: AdipoR2 is regulated by the LH receptor function via a cAMP dependant mechanism. Increased expression of adipoR2 prior to and following ovulation may contribute to enhanced 3βHSD activity and increased progesterone secretion by the corpus luteum of the ovary. Dysregulation of adiponectin that may occur with PCOS may impair normal progesterone production

Optical Fiber Systems and Methods

One embodiment of the invention includes a method for forming an optical fiber. The method comprises providing a preform having a core material and a glass cladding material surrounding the core material. The method also comprises drawing the preform at a temperature that is greater than a melting temperature of the core material to form a drawn fiber. The method further comprises cooling the drawn fiber to form the optical fiber having a crystalline fiber core and a cladding that surrounds the crystalline fiber core and extends axially along a length of the crystalline fiber core

Whole-Genome Gene Expression Profiling of Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissue Samples

We have developed a gene expression assay (Whole-Genome DASL®), capable of generating whole-genome gene expression profiles from degraded samples such as formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens.∼0.75 with standard FFPE inputs (200 ng).Taken together, these results show that WG-DASL assay provides a reliable platform for genome-wide expression profiling in archived materials. It also possesses utility within clinical settings where only limited quantities of samples may be available (e.g. microdissected material) or when minimally invasive procedures are performed (e.g. biopsied specimens)