Religious belief and social control, with special reference to patterns of stability and change in classical Athens and ancient Egypt

The social sciences are vitiated by the perennial problem of social order. Questions concerning the nature and possible determinants of social formations are often intriguing and necessarily conjectural, but the problem of how such structures are then kept in being constitutes one of the fundamental issues of sociology. Social order connotes social stability, and this is necessarily difficult to study in the modern world of dissolving and crystallizing social patterns. This thesis, therefore, sets out to examine the problem of order in the context of complex pre-industrial society which, whilst not completely., static, exhibits more clearly and comprehensively the persistent features of institutional life. The discussion rests upon a typification of Static and Dynamic societies. The Static society is characterised by retrospective orientations and eunomic (good order) stability, and the Dynamic society by qualified prospective orientations and anomic innovation. It hypotheses that these factors, in turn, can be related to the nature, form and implementation of the belief-systems concerned. The term 'pre-industrial society' is not a vague classification which can be stamped on an undifferentiated past. Certainly the ancient world' witnessed a great variety of systems. The main body, of this discussion is involved with a comparative analysis of two such systems, Egypt and Classical Athens, which may be typified as Static and Dynamic societies. Key institutional areas are-examined and related to the main themes of religion and social control

Going global: The introduction of the Asian isopod Ianiropsis serricaudis Gurjanova (Crustacea: Peracarida) to North America and Europe

The Asian isopod Ianiropsis serricaudis is now well established in fouling communities, often associated with introduced ascidians, throughout the Northern Hemisphere but has gone largely unnoticed because of its diminutive size (typically less than 3 mm in length) and the difficulties of identifying small peracarid crustaceans. Known locations include the northeastern Pacific (Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, and Monterey Bay), the northwestern Atlantic (from the Gulf of Maine to Barnegat Bay, NJ), and the northeastern Atlantic (England and the Netherlands). We predict that this species is widespread along North America and European coasts, and may already be introduced to cold temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere as well

Marine Invaders in the Northeast: Rapid Assessment Survey of Non-native and Native Marine Species of Floating Dock Communities, August 2003

In his seminal book on The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants, Elton (1958) laid the foundation for the science of biological invasions. He identified the importance of human-mediated vectors as means of transporting organisms to new locations and discussed invasions in the context of ecological impacts and evolutionary consequences. Elton even identified what needed to be done to prevent practical and ecological damages from invaders--keep them out, eradicate them, and if all else fails, manage them at acceptable levels. We have not been vigilant in applying this knowledge to marine ecosystems, although this is changing. Our ability to detect changes in numbers and rate of marine introductions depends on well-documented lists of species in time and space, appropriate identification of non-native species, and careful records that follow changes in nomenclature, distribution, potential vectors, and ecosystem alterations caused by non-native species.United States. Environmental Protection Agency (Grant X83055701

Ecological Impacts of the Space Shuttle Program at John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

The Space Shuttle Program was one of NASAs first major undertakings to fall under the environmental impact analysis and documentation requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Space Shuttle Program activities at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the associated Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) contributed directly and indirectly to both negative and positive ecological trends in the region through the long-term, stable expenditure of resources over the 40 year program life cycle. These expenditures provided support to regional growth and development in conjunction with other sources that altered land use patterns, eliminated and modified habitats, and contributed to cultural eutrophication of the Indian River Lagoon. At KSC, most Space Shuttle Program related actions were conducted in previously developed facilities and industrial areas with the exception of the construction of the shuttle landing facility (SLF) and the space station processing facility (SSPF). Launch and operations impacts were minimal as a result of the low annual launch rate. The majority of concerns identified during the NEPA process such as potential weather modification, acid rain off site, and local climate change did not occur. Launch impacts from deposition of HCl and particulates were assimilated as a result of the high buffering capacity of the system and low launch and loading rates. Metals deposition from exhaust deposition did not display acute impacts. Sub-lethal effects are being investigated as part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulatory process. Major positive Space Shuttle Program effects were derived from the adequate resources available at the Center to implement the numerous environmental laws and regulations designed to enhance the quality of the environment and minimize impacts from human activities. This included reduced discharges of domestic and industrial wastewater, creation of stormwater management systems, remediation of past contamination sites, implementation of hazardous waste management systems, and creation of a culture of sustainability. Working with partners such as the USFWS and the St Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), wetlands and scrub restoration and management initiatives were implemented to enhance fish and wildlife populations at the Center. KSC remains the single largest preserve on the east coast of Florida in part due to NASAs commitment to stewardship. Ongoing Ecological Program projects are directed at development of information and knowledge to address future KSC management questions including the transition to a joint government and commercial launch facility, enhanced habitat management requirements for wetlands and scrub, potential impacts of emerging contaminants, and adaptation to climate change including projected sea level rise over the next 50-75 years

Going global: The introduction of the Asian isopod Ianiropsis serricaudis Gurjanova (Crustacea: Peracarida) to North America and Europe

The Asian isopod Ianiropsis serricaudis is now well established in fouling communities, often associated with introduced ascidians, throughout the Northern Hemisphere but has gone largely unnoticed because of its diminutive size (typically less than 3 mm in length) and the difficulties of identifying small peracarid crustaceans. Known locations include the northeastern Pacific (Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, and Monterey Bay), the northwestern Atlantic (from the Gulf of Maine to Barnegat Bay, NJ), and the northeastern Atlantic (England and the Netherlands). We predict that this species is widespread along North America and European coasts, and may already be introduced to cold temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere as well

Empowering patients with tuberculosis to build public trust in treatment outcome data

Tuberculosis has killed more people than any other infection since records began. According to World Health Organization policy and global practice, tuberculosis treatment outcomes are reported as “good” if patients complete all their treatment without persisting positive laboratory tests; or “bad” if treatment is not completed, and/or laboratory tests remain positive. Globally, most patients treated for tuberculosis never have any positive laboratory test, so usually treatment outcome simply assesses whether patients have completed their standardised course of treatment. In an ongoing cohort of 15,000 patients with tuberculosis disease treated in 32 Peruvian shantytowns we have compared programmatic and patient-reported outcomes. Amongst 2152 consecutive patients with tuberculosis, half of the 6.1% of patients whose treatment outcome was “bad” because of death during treatment actually died from unrelated causes, so “good” tuberculosis outcomes were underestimated. Furthermore, patients who die after completing tuberculosis therapy are not included in outcome data, but verbal autopsies defined their cause of death to be tuberculosis for 25% (15/59), so “good” outcomes were overestimated. In a group of 1622 patients, 0.86% (14) were considered programmatically to have “bad” outcome because they were lost to follow-up, but our research team were able to contact them or their families in all but three cases and 91% (8/11) actually had good treatment outcomes, so “good” outcomes were underestimated. Similarly, we completed detailed follow-up for 607 patients who were considered to have had a “good” tuberculosis outcome, but 7.9% of them were diagnosed with tuberculosis again, so “good” outcomes were overestimated. We assessed wellbeing with the EUROHIS-QOL questionnaire for 836 patients after being considered to have had a good treatment outcome and 38% were not satisfied with their overall health, so “good” outcomes were overestimated. Because of these issues, patients with tuberculosis cannot be confident that current statistics indicate what health outcome to expect. We propose that global policy is changed to  empower patients (or if they died, their relatives) to report several months after treatment ends their actual tuberculosis-related health, making tuberculosis treatment outcome statistics more meaningful

A New Malaria Agent in African Hominids

Plasmodium falciparum is the major human malaria agent responsible for 200 to 300 million infections and one to three million deaths annually, mainly among African infants. The origin and evolution of this pathogen within the human lineage is still unresolved. A single species, P. reichenowi, which infects chimpanzees, is known to be a close sister lineage of P. falciparum. Here we report the discovery of a new Plasmodium species infecting Hominids. This new species has been isolated in two chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) kept as pets by villagers in Gabon (Africa). Analysis of its complete mitochondrial genome (5529 nucleotides including Cyt b, Cox I and Cox III genes) reveals an older divergence of this lineage from the clade that includes P. falciparum and P. reichenowi (∼21±9 Myrs ago using Bayesian methods and considering that the divergence between P. falciparum and P. reichenowi occurred 4 to 7 million years ago as generally considered in the literature). This time frame would be congruent with the radiation of hominoids, suggesting that this Plasmodium lineage might have been present in early hominoids and that they may both have experienced a simultaneous diversification. Investigation of the nuclear genome of this new species will further the understanding of the genetic adaptations of P. falciparum to humans. The risk of transfer and emergence of this new species in humans must be now seriously considered given that it was found in two chimpanzees living in contact with humans and its close relatedness to the most virulent agent of malaria