The reverent eye : scientific visual culture and the origins of modern British zoology, 1815-1840

PhD ThesisBetween 1815 and 1840, decades of unprecedented social and political upheaval, the life sciences in Britain were transformed. What for centuries had been a single subject, natural history, fragmented into a set of related but distinct scientific disciplines, defined by their objects of investigation. This study focuses on one of them, zoology, and the ways in which its emerging, transitional practices and methodologies, prompted by the vast increase in empirical information, the emergence of new institutions, development of new audiences, and increasing colonial expansion, were codified and disseminated in some of the most stunning images ever created of life on earth. At the heart of this process was quinarianism, a now almost forgotten system of ordering the natural world which originated in the long-running and acrimonious ‘Species Debate’, the single most important issue in early-nineteenth century biology. Far from being a historical and scientific irrelevance, quinarianism was crucial to the institutional and methodological development of zoology in Britain. As developed by a small, politically-diverse group of zoologists centred upon the Linnean and Zoological Societies of London, it fused natural theology and continental Idealism in a powerful synthesis which, for twenty years, defined zoology as a British, imperial science, providing the institutional framework which made possible the great advances of the 1860s and 1870s. At a time when widespread unrest, calls for political reform, and imported European materialism seemed to threaten the stability of British society, the quinarian vision of a stable, divinely-ordained world was mobilised to both establish zoology as a discipline and promote a ‘safe’, hierarchical social order. Ornithology was one of the first biological disciplines to emerge from the broader natural history, and it was here that quinarianism made the greatest impact. It was also the most visual and ornithological works, from relatively cheap editions to the vast expensive folios of John Gould were copiously illustrated by well-known artists and engravers. These illustrated works have long been neglected as a historical resource, their images regarded as secondary to text as a source of scientific knowledge and often regarded purely on aesthetic grounds. To fully understand the genesis and appeal of quinarianism, it is crucial to consider these images not simply as art objects, but as sources of scientific authority within their wider context. Deploying an interdisciplinary methodology, and building upon recent studies by Lorraine Daston, Peter Galison, and Jonathan Smith, it is demonstrated here that, created through the manipulation of the visual conventions of natural history, images such as Gould’s were central to the epistemological and extrascientific agendas of early nineteenth-century zoologists, and crucial to our understanding of a formative, transitional period in British science that has long been shrouded in obscurity.Arts and Humanities Research Council PhD studentshi

Public-Private Partnerships: Lessons Learned from a Partnership: Consolidated Contractors Company and the Morganti Group Inc. (Ccc/Morganti), Al-Balqa’ Applied University (Bau)/Al-Huson University College (Ahuc) and the Usaid Jordan Economic Development Program

This paper describes a Public-Private Partnership that brings together: Al-Balqa’ Applied University/Al-Huson University College (AHUC); Consolidated Contractors Company and the Morganti Group Inc. (CCC/MORGANTI); Al-Huson Career Development Center (CDC); and USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ). The Partnership enhances CCC/MORGANTI with its corporate responsibility initiative in Jordan as well as addressing CCC/MORGANTI’s labor force needs from Jordan and in the MENA Region. The lessons learned from the process of developing this partnership may be applied to other potential and emerging partnerships in other sectors. The paper draws on principles and best Education and Training Public/Private Partnerships Improved Workforce Demand-Driven Skills in Selected Sectors USAID Jordan Economic Development Program 5 practices of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), includes specific references to recent publications, and includes step-by-step procedures needed to form effective partnerships

A model for estimating pathogen variability in shellfish and predicting minimum depuration times

Norovirus is a major cause of viral gastroenteritis, with shellfish consumption being identified as one potential norovirus entry point into the human population. Minimising shellfish norovirus levels is therefore important for both the consumer’s protection and the shellfish industry’s reputation. One method used to reduce microbiological risks in shellfish is depuration; however, this process also presents additional costs to industry. Providing a mechanism to estimate norovirus levels during depuration would therefore be useful to stakeholders. This paper presents a mathematical model of the depuration process and its impact on norovirus levels found in shellfish. Two fundamental stages of norovirus depuration are considered: (i) the initial distribution of norovirus loads within a shellfish population and (ii) the way in which the initial norovirus loads evolve during depuration. Realistic assumptions are made about the dynamics of norovirus during depuration, and mathematical descriptions of both stages are derived and combined into a single model. Parameters to describe the depuration effect and norovirus load values are derived from existing norovirus data obtained from U.K. harvest sites. However, obtaining population estimates of norovirus variability is time-consuming and expensive; this model addresses the issue by assuming a ‘worst case scenario’ for variability of pathogens, which is independent of mean pathogen levels. The model is then used to predict minimum depuration times required to achieve norovirus levels which fall within possible risk management levels, as well as predictions of minimum depuration times for other water-borne pathogens found in shellfish. Times for Escherichia coli predicted by the model all fall within the minimum 42 hours required for class B harvest sites, whereas minimum depuration times for norovirus and FRNA+ bacteriophage are substantially longer. Thus this study provides relevant information and tools to assist norovirus risk managers with future control strategies

Can Scotland achieve its aim of narrowing health inequalities in a post-pandemic world?

In this commentary we explore the potential for the devolved Scottish Government to achieve its stated aim of narrowing health - and broader societal (including economic) - inequalities within both the restrictions of limited devolved powers, and in the context of post-pandemic uncertainty. We do so by focussing on two questions: first, where were we with regards to inequalities policy in Scotland before the pandemic? And second, what are the likely implications of the pandemic for inequalities, and inequalities policymaking, in the country

Concentration and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater using polyethylene glycol-based concentration and qRT-PCR

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Temperature Dependence in the Jiles–Atherton Model for Non-Oriented Electrical Steels: An Engineering Approach

High operating temperatures modify the magnetic behavior of ferromagnetic cores which may affect the performance of electrical machines. Therefore, a temperature-dependent material model is necessary to model the electrical machine behavior more accurately during the design process. Physics-inspired hysteresis models, such as the Jiles–Atherton (JA) model, seem to be promising candidates to incorporate temperature effects and can be embedded in finite element simulations. In this paper, we have identified the JA model parameters from measurements for a temperature range experienced by non oriented electrical steels in electrical machines during their operation. Based on the analysis, a parameter reduction has been performed. The proposed approach simplifies the identification procedures by reducing the number of model parameters and does not require any additional material information, such as the Curie temperature. The resulting temperature-dependent JA model is validated against measurements, and the results are in good agreement

pilF polymorphism-based real-time PCR to distinguish Vibrio vulnificus strains of human health relevance

The Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio vulnificus is a common inhabitant of estuarine environments. Globally, V. vulnificus is a significant foodborne pathogen capable of causing necrotizing wound infections and primary septicemia, and is a leading cause of seafood-related mortality. Unfortunately, molecular methods for the detection and enumeration of pathogenic V. vulnificus are hampered by the genetically diverse nature of this pathogen, the range of different biotypes capable of infecting humans and aquatic animals, and the fact that V. vulnificus contains pathogenic as well as non-pathogenic variants. Here we report an alternative approach utilizing the development of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of pathogenic V. vulnificus strains based on a polymorphism in pilF, a gene previously indicated to be associated with human pathogenicity. Compared to human serum reactivity, the real-time PCR assay successfully detected pathogenic strains in 46 out of 47 analysed V. vulnificus isolates (97.9%). The method is also rapid, sensitive, and more importantly can be reliably utilised on biotype 2 and 3 strains, unlike other current methods for V. vulnificus virulence differentiation