Christ Our Center: Joseph Ratzinger’s Witness

The author first traces the rise of today’s postmodernism from nineteenth-century relativism, both of which reject claims to the possession of an absolute and universal truth. They see such a claim as an imposition of one’s own limited perspective on others. This phenomenon rules out Christ as the center of history. He then notes that for him ecumenism is not just for unity in the church but for a united claim to the centrality and lordship of Christ over the universe. He pursues this line of thought through the Christology of Cardinal Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict XVI. He explores Ratzinger’s critique of Marxist-tinged theology as it pertains to pluralistic theology. Namely, both relativize the subjects they address. So the issue is how Christians of different churches can proclaim Christ as the single and universal savior of the human race. This is the task for ecumenical discussion. The goal is to reaffirm together the creedal statement that the Logos that encompasses and sustains history also became a uniquely single point in history as one man, savior of the world

Understanding the challenges of non-food industrial product contamination

Preventing microbial contamination of non-food products is a major area of industrial microbiology where preservatives are used to stop microbial growth. However, microorganisms occasionally overcome product preservation, causing recalls and the implementation of multiple procedures to prevent further contamination. Correct reporting of microbial contamination in non-food industrial products is vital, especially if spoilage organisms are antimicrobial resistant and pose a health threat. Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and Enterobacteriaceae are frequently reported as non-food product contaminants, including species that overlap current antimicrobial resistance priorities. Historical analysis of recall databases highlighted that for greater than 15% of contamination incidents, the causative microbial agents are reported as unidentified. Here we review the current antimicrobial resistant bacterial species associated with non-food product contamination and evaluate recall reporting in Europe from 2005 to 2018. Our review shows that 49% of microbial contaminants are reported as unidentified despite frequent detection of antimicrobial resistant pathogens; in contrast, 98% of food-related microbial contaminants are classified. Recommendations to fill this microbial identification gap in non-food product recalls are made. Overall, reporting standards for microbial contamination in non-food products must be improved to enable surveillance and for understanding the risks associated with antimicrobial resistant microorganism

The genomic basis of preservative resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is of increasing global concern, especially in the face of a stagnant antibiotic pipeline. As such, accurate global microbiological surveillance is more important than ever. This global crisis has been extensively highlighted in the nosocomial setting, where ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter spp.) are responsible for persistent infections, which bolster patient morbidity and mortality. In these settings, vigilant tracking and identification has been invaluable in limiting further outbreaks and infection. However, intrinsically resistant microorganisms are also problematic in manufacturing settings, where they can overcome antimicrobial preservatives present in food and cosmetics and enrich due to the presence of proteins and formulation additives. Therefore, the accurate identification of these organisms and understanding the mechanisms underpinning preservative tolerant phenotypes is essential for both the billion-dollar revenue of the HPCP industry, and consumer health. In this study, we first highlight that 49% of organisms responsible for non-food product recalls recorded in public recall databases remain unidentified, whilst the predominant identified organisms for recall are the Gram-negative bacteria, P. aeruginosa, Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaeceae. We then taxonomically characterise bacteria and fungi in the factory environment and demonstrate that the predominant identified microorganisms do not mirror those responsible for non-food product recalls. Utilising genomics and whole genome sequencing, we then illustrate that the use of historical taxonomic classification techniques such as multi locus sequence typing is insufficient for the accurate species-level identification of intrinsically preservative-tolerant Burkholderia cepacia complex spp. Finally, we use genomics to unveil the unique genome organisation of the problematic organisms P. aeruginosa and Pluralibacter gergoviae, revealing the presence of unique large extrachromosomal elements known as megaplasmids in bacteria from the industrial environment, before characterising these megaplasmids in the context of related megaplasmids from a variety of other stressful environments

Legislative and Policy Responses to the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property in the European Union An historical inquiry into the legal means and methods employed by the EU and its northern Member states to protect cultural property from illicit trafficking

This doctoral dissertation is an historical analysis of the legislative and policy responses to the phenomenon that is illicit trafficking and the illegal movement of cultural property to, from and within the European continent in the 20th and 21st centuries. Its intent is to illustrate the evolution of the historic means used the restrain the illicit trafficking of culture property, ascertain if they work(ed), and understand the extent to which they influence the current EU legal order. Using archival resources, comparisons of national, European and international legislation, policy, codes of conduct, and contemporary media commentary, this dissertation illustrates that illicit trafficking is an old and complex illegal trade that has long posed legal and policy headaches for governments; though the types of objects being trafficked differ from state to state, this dissertation illustrates that the problems faced by governments in addressing this phenomenon are often similar. Export controls are historically the main means by which states protect heritage from trafficking, and this dissertation agrees with this observation. However, the EU decision to complement export controls with import controls appears to suggest the inability of these traditionally accepted methods to fully restrain trafficking. The most surprising findings of this work are the extent to which museums have influenced national and EU policy; and early stage which the EU engaged in finding solutions to illicit trade, earlier than originally presumed. Finally, the innovative responses by the EU are ground- breaking, and in this sense, this dissertation further demonstrates the potential of the EU as an emerging major partner and forward-thinking actor in the fight against illicit trafficking

Culturable diversity of bacterial endophytes associated with medicinal plants of the Western Ghats, India

Bacterial endophytes are found in the internal tissues of plants and have intimate associations with their host. However, little is known about the diversity of medicinal plant endophytes (ME) or their capability to produce specialised metabolites that may contribute to therapeutic properties. We isolated 75 bacterial ME from 24 plant species of the Western Ghats, India. Molecular identification by 16S rRNA gene sequencing grouped MEs into 13 bacterial genera, with members of Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes being the most abundant. To improve taxonomic identification, 26 selected MEs were genome sequenced and average nucleotide identity (ANI) used to identify them to the species-level. This identified multiple species in the most common genus as Bacillus. Similarly, identity of the Enterobacterales was also distinguished within Enterobacter and Serratia by ANI and core-gene analysis. AntiSMASH identified non-ribosomal peptide synthase, lantipeptide and bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC) as the most common BGCs found in the ME genomes. A total of five of the ME isolates belonging to Bacillus, Serratia and Enterobacter showed antimicrobial activity against the plant pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum. Using molecular and genomic approaches we have characterised a unique collection of endophytic bacteria from medicinal plants. Their genomes encode multiple specialised metabolite gene clusters and the collection can now be screened for novel bioactive and medicinal metabolites

The Genome Sequences of Three Paraburkholderia sp. Strains Isolated from Wood-Decay Fungi Reveal Them as Novel Species with Antimicrobial Biosynthetic Potential.

Three strains of fungus-associated Burkholderiales bacteria with antagonistic activity against Gram-negative plant pathogens were genome sequenced to investigate their taxonomic placement and potential for antimicrobial specialized metabolite production. The selected strains were identified as novel taxa belonging to the genus Paraburkholderia and carry multiple biosynthetic gene clusters

Genome sequence of pluralibacter gergoviae ECO77, a unique multireplicon isolate of industrial origin

In order to expand the limited understanding of genomics of antimicrobial resistant industrial bacteria, we report the genome sequence of Pluralibacter gergoviae ECO77, a historical contaminant strain of industrial origin. The multi-replicon 6.16 Mbp genome of ECO77 consists of a main chromosome, one megaplasmid (605,666 bp) and large plasmid (182,007bp)

Novel application of metagenomics for the strain-level detection of 1 bacterial contaminants within non-sterile industrial products – a 2 retrospective, real-time analysis

The home and personal care (HPC) industry generally relies on initial cultivation and subsequent biochemical testing for the identification of microorganisms in contaminated products. This process is slow (several days for growth), labour intensive, and misses organisms which fail to revive from the harsh environment of preserved consumer products. Since manufacturing within the HPC industry is high-throughput, the process of identification of microbial contamination could benefit from the multiple cultivation-independent methodologies that have developed for the detection and analysis of microbes. We describe a novel workflow starting with automated DNA extraction directly from a HPC product, and subsequently applying metagenomic methodologies for species and strain-level identification of bacteria. The workflow was validated by application to a historic microbial contamination of a general-purpose cleaner (GPC). A single strain of Pseudomonas oleovorans was detected metagenomically within the product. The metagenome mirrored that of a contaminant isolated in parallel by a traditional cultivation-based approach. Using a dilution series of the incident sample, we also provide evidence to show that the workflow enables detection of contaminant organisms down to 100 CFU/ml of product. To our knowledge, this is the first validated example of metagenomics analysis providing confirmatory evidence of a traditionally isolated contaminant organism, in a HPC product

Genome sequences of two choline-utilising methanogenic archaea, Methanococcoides spp., isolated from marine sediments

The genomes of two Methanococcoides spp. that were isolated from marine sediments and are capable of carrying out methanogenesis from choline and other methylotrophic substrates were sequenced. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization analyses demonstrate that they represent species different from those previously described

The Ox on the Roof (Le Boeuf Sur le Toit)

Program for the third annual RISD Cabaret held in the Cellar of the Providence Art Club. Design and layout by Treva Offutt.https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/liberalarts_cabaret_programs/1002/thumbnail.jp