The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act\u27s Turn to International Law

The development of a harmonized system for resolving the failures of large, international financial institutions is considered by academics and policy-makers to be critical to reducing systemic risk and reducing the probability that the insolvency of a major bank will lead to a global economic collapse. Reaching agreement on how to develop this harmonized system for financial institutions with significant transnational assets and liabilities has proved elusive thus far. Commentators in favor of a more international and less parochial approach to resolving bank failures can point to a number of extremely high-profile events that demonstrate the manifest unfairness of resolving bank failures on an individual basis. The bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) are two of many such examples

Characterisation of methylotrophs in the rhizosphere

Methanol is the second most abundant volatile organic compound in the atmosphere, with the majority of this methanol being produced as a waste metabolic by-product of the growth and decay of plants. There is a large disparity between the amount of methanol estimated as being produced and that which enters the atmosphere. This disparity is believed to be due to the utilisation of methanol by plant associated methylotrophs. The diversity and activity of methylotrophs associated with the root and rhizosphere of pea and wheat plants was assessed through a range of cultivation independent and dependent approaches. Enrichments performed with a range of environmental samples supplemented with methanol resulted in the isolation of several strains of methylotrophic bacteria, including two novel species of methylotroph belonging to the family Methylophilaceae, whose genomes were sequenced and their physiological capabilities assessed. The diversity and abundance of methanol dehydrogenase encoding genes in bulk soil and the pea and wheat rhizosphere was assessed through 454 sequencing and qPCR respectively. Sequencing showed high levels of diversity of methylotrophic bacteria within the bulk soil and also showed a shift in this diversity between the bulk soil and the plant associated soils, in spite of no shift in the abundance of these genes occurring. Active methylotrophs present in the bulk and plant associated soils were identified by DNA stable isotope probing using 13C labelled methanol. Next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes and construction of metagenomes from the 13C labelled DNA revealed members of the Methylophilaceae as highly abundant in all of the soils. A greater diversity of the Methylophilaceae and the genus Methylobacterium were identified as active in the plant associated soils relative to the bulk soil. A 13CO2 stable isotope probing experiment identified methylotrophs as utilising plant exudates in the pea and wheat root and rhizosphere communities. Several methylotrophic genera were identified as exudate utilising, in addition to heterotrophic genera and Actinomycetes. The specific 13C labelled genera were shown to vary between both the wheat and pea plants and between the rhizosphere and root communities

Draft Genome Sequence of Clostridium sp. Strain E02, Isolated from an Estuarine Environment

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a strain of Clostridium isolated from sediment collected from an estuarine environment. The strain was isolated using a minimal medium designed to select for chemoautotrophic microorganisms. The strain may represent a novel species within the genus Clostridium, and this genome sequence enables further investigation into the genetic and metabolic diversity of this organism

Assessing the excess health service utilisation and direct medical costs of injuries.

This study was undertaken with the aim to develop improved measures of health service utilisation (HSU) and direct medical costs following an index injury, utilising large scale datasets linked via anonymous patient identifiers.A cohort of anonymous injury patients resident in Swansea and attending an emergency department (ED) or admitted to hospital between 01/04/2005 and 31/03/2007 were identified and tracked as they progressed through various treatment stages following their index injury, incorporating ED attendances, inpatient stay and outpatient contacts. To determine the extent of the subsequent HSU and direct medical costs associated with the index injury a unique model was developed whereby the numbers, lengths and treatment costs of health service contacts observed amongst the cohort of injured individuals during the follow-up period were compared with the equivalent figures expected in the absence of an injury.On average each index injury was found to lead to an excess of 0.12 (95% Cl 0.11, 0.13) ED attendances, 0.07 (95% Cl 0.06, 0.08) inpatient admissions, 1.00 (95% Cl 0.78, 1.23) inpatient bed days and 0.55 (95% Cl 0.52, 0.58) outpatient contacts being estimated over the follow-up period. Moreover, every index injury resulted in mean excess ED, inpatient and outpatient treatment costs of £12.05 (95% Cl £11.05, £13.05), £492.43 (95% Cl £415.66, £569.21) and £73.30 (95% Cl £68.44, £78.17), respectively, equating to a combined figure of £577.79 (95% Cl £500.32, £655.26). Across the entire injured cohort this amounts to an overall excess direct medical cost total of £17.6 million being incurred, with the equivalent figure for the whole of Wales potentially being as high as £306.4 million.Together with signifying the magnitude of the HSU and direct medical costs resulting from injury, this study has introduced and implemented improved methods for estimating these outcome measures based on the use of anonymous patient record linkage

Draft Genome Sequences of Obligate Methylotrophs <i>Methylovorus</i> sp. Strain MM2 and <i>Methylobacillus</i> sp. Strain MM3, Isolated from Grassland Soil

Methylotrophs of the family Methylophilaceae were isolated from grassland soil. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of two obligate methylotrophs, Methylovorus sp. strain MM2 and Methylobacillus sp. strain MM3. These genome sequences provide further insights into the genetic and metabolic diversity of the Methylophilaceae

Viable metabolisms in a simulated martian environments

Microbes have multiple ways of producing energy. Which of these methods are possible depends on the chemistry of the environment the microbes are in (e.g. not enough of a metal or too much salt), with only specific methods working in certain environments. The same would be true of any waters that might continue to exist on Mars. To narrow down which methods of producing energy would be theoretically possible we simulated martian waters using a collection of minerals that are chemically similar to the chemistry measured by the Mars rover Curiosity in a crater on Mars. We added mud from an estuary to the simulated martian water and identified which microbes were able to grow. We then repeatedly transferred the growing microbes to fresh “martian” water to dilute out the nutrients from the mud. Over time we observed that most of the microbes from the mud have been lost but a few specific microbes were growing well. From this we hope to investigate changes in the chemistry of the water that happen because of these microbes, to try and identify specific chemistries that can be looked for by the future rover missions on Mars seeking evidence of life

Microbial growth in simulated martian environments

In this study, four new simulants have been developed, and their associated fluid chemistries have been derived for use in a series of microbiological simulation experiments. These experiments will determine if aqueous environments on Mars, past or present, could potentially support microbial life and identify any key geochemical biosignatures that may arise as a result of that life

Testing the habitability of distinct simulated martian environments

Habitability of martian waters would have been partially determined by the chemistry arising from interactions with martian lithologies. In this study, the habitability of groundwater chemistries (based on basaltic, iron- and sulfur-enriched lithologies) and the resulting variation in biosignatures was investigated, with microbes from anaerobic estuarine sediment used as an inoculum. The microbial community was monitored by cell counts and 16S rRNA gene profiling. Changes in fluid and precipitate chemistries were measured using ICP-OES and IC, with changes over geological timescales modelled using CHIM-XPT. The fluid chemistries were shown to be habitable, with distinct patterns in cell abundance and growth phases between the chemistries. However, the same genera dominated (Acetobacterium, Desulfovibrio and Desulfosporomusa) regardless of the initial fluid chemistry. In the biotic test group, changes in fluid chemistry were the same in the three chemistries, with an enhanced concentration of aluminium and iron and the removal of sulfate. However, geochemical modelling of the fluids under abiotic conditions over geological timescales revealed similar changes to those in the biotic test groups. Therefore, these samples require further analysis to assess whether we can identify any potentially unambiguous biosignatures that could develop between geologically distinct sites

The Monstrous ‘White Theory Boy’: Symbolic Capital, Pedagogy and the Politics of Knowledge

This article presents a critical uncovering of the continued dominance of whiteness and maleness in processes and practices of knowledge formation. Tracking the figure of the ‘white theory boy’ or ‘dead white man’ across experiential accounts of theory, scholarship on canonicity, and pedagogical strategies, the article demonstrates his enduring authority in theoretical knowledge making and dissemination. Where this article moves somewhere different is its suggestion that a space of sympathy be extended to this hegemonic figure. Though the dominance of the ‘white theory boy’ undoubtedly perpetuates inequalities throughout social theoretic thought, it is necessary to locate a new method of tackling such ingrained problems. Though extending sympathy to the ‘white theory boy’ is perhaps initially counter-intuitive, my suggestion is that he does not hold the sort of monolithic power we might first assume. Bringing an intersectional analysis of gender, class, ‘race’ and ethnicity to bear on this figure, creates a space in which a more critical and fine-grained account of the relationship between power, knowledge, and social status can be uncovered. It is through extending this space of sympathy and mutual cooperation to ‘white theory boys’ that the practical and conceptual machinations of their power are further revealed. From here a more thorough dismantling of this power becomes possible

Assembly of Bacterial Genome Sequences from Metagenomes of Spacecraft Assembly Cleanrooms

Characterizing the microbiome of spacecraft assembly cleanrooms is important for planetary protection. We report two bacterial metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) reconstructed from metagenomes produced from cleanroom samples from the Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (KSC-PHSF) during the handling of the Phoenix spacecraft. Characterization of these MAGs will enable identification of the strategies underpinning their survival