LONDON (Reuters) – An independent Scotland would have a vastly oversized financial sector that would leave it vulnerable to a Cyprus-style banking crisis, Britain‘s finance ministry says.
Before a referendum due in September 2014 on whether Scotland should split from the United Kingdom, the British government is analyzing the impact of independence on Scotland, which has a population of about 5 million.
A report from the finance ministry – or Treasury – says that without the British government’s regulatory framework, Scotland would be left vulnerable by having a banking sector that dwarfs its economy, driving businesses out of the country.
“An independent Scotland would have an exceptionally large banking sector compared to the size of its economy – with banking assets of more than 1250 percent of Scottish GDP – making it more vulnerable to financial shocks and the volatility of the sector,” said a Treasury statement which contained excerpts from the report, due to be published on Monday.
The Scottish National Party (SNP), which controls Scotland’s devolved government and is behind the independence campaign, dismissed the report and said it would produce its own study on Tuesday highlighting the benefits of a split from Britain
“An independent Scotland will be an economic success story, as we will outline this coming week, and the tall tales from the Treasury can’t hide that reality,” said Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney of the SNP.
Opinion polls indicate the pro-independence movement in Scotland has the support of about a third of voters, while nearly 60 percent want to stay in the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister David Cameron has campaigned against Scottish independence.
At 12-1/2 times the size of Scotland’s economic output, Scotland’s banking sector would be even more out of proportion to the economy than that of Cyprus, which ground to a standstill earlier this year as the cost of recapitalizing its banks, which had assets worth nine times its GDP, spiraled.
“Overall, the experience of financial crises shows that countries with a large banking sector compared to the size of their GDP are significantly more vulnerable,” the Treasury statement said.
Scotland currently benefits from the British government’s capacity to support struggling banks.
During the 2007/08 financial crisis, government support for Britain’s financial sector peaked at more than 1 trillion pounds’ ($1.5 trillion) worth of guarantees and cash injections.
The Treasury report will say any future bank rescues would place a heavy burden on Scottish taxpayers, and could generate concerns about state finances that might discourage firms from basing their operations there.
Previous reports from the British government have said that there is no clear case for an independent Scotland to share use of the British pound, and that it might have to reapply for membership of international bodies such as the European Union.
I don’t have a desk, because there’s no room in my apartment, but if I did it would probably be covered in so much crap that I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. And it makes me feel a little better to know that Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman doesn’t have a desk either.
Ubuntu tablets may not be particularly new, but thanks to its liberal build, things can get a bit more interesting when another OS is added to the mix. Ekoore’s Python S3 tablet goes a little further, nestling Ubuntu, Android and Windows 8 behind its 11.6-inch screen. Specifications can be customized on the order page, but there’s an Intel Celeron processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for storage, while the 1,366 x 768 resolution was chosen to suit all three operating systems: Windows 8, Android 4.2 and Ubuntu 13.04. There’s connectivity through both WiFi and an optional 3G module — the Win 8 license itself is also a purchasable extra. The device is priced at $770 for the US, while you’ll be able to pick up a dockable keyboard add-on (with built-in battery) for around $179. For those of you who still can’t decide your favorite tablet OS, you can hedge your bets and place an order at the source.
The summer season is just about to be upon us, and this week came bearing a whole slew of apps ready to make sure you’re having maximum fun while maintaining maximum responsibility. We hope.
Zippo, a brand long associated with smokers and arsonists, has now decided to use its expertise in stainless steel to help those burdened with a giant Costanza wallet as it’s come to be known. The company’s new wallet is just under half an-inch thick, and its stainless steel housing will help block wireless signals if you’re worried about ID theft.
Public release date: 16-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Peter Franklin p.franklin@soton.ac.uk 44-238-059-5457 University of Southampton
An international team of astronomers have reported the first scientific results from the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7) in South Africa, the pathfinder radio telescope for the $3 billion global Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.
The results appear in the latest issue of the prestigious international astronomical journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS).
Using the seven-dish KAT-7 telescope and the 26 m radio telescope at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), astronomers have observed a neutron star system known as Circinus X-1 as it fires energetic matter from its core into the surrounding system in extensive, compact `jets’ that flare brightly, details of which are visible only in radio waves.
Circinus X-1 is an X-ray binary (or two-star system) where one of the companion stars is a high-density, compact neutron star (a neutron star is an extremely dense and compact remnant of an exploded star and only 20km in diameter.) The two stars orbit each other every 16.5 days in an elliptical orbit. When the two stars are at their closest the gravity of the dense neutron star pulls material from the companion star. A powerful jet of material then blasts out from the system.
During the time astronomers, including a team from the University of Southampton, observed Circinus X-1 (13 December 2011 to 16 January 2012) the system flared twice at levels among the highest observed in recent years. KAT-7 was able to catch both of these flares and follow them as they progressed. This is the first time that the system has been observed in such detail during the full flare cycle.
“One way of explaining what is happening is that the compact neutron star gobbles up parts of its companion star and then fires much of this matter back out again,” explains Dr Richard Armstrong, an SKA SA Fellow at the University of Cape Town and lead author of the paper. “The dramatic radio flares happen when the matter Circinus X-1 has violently ejected slows down as it smashes into the surrounding medium.”
Professor Rob Fender, Head of the Astronomy Research Group at the University of Southampton, says: “Circinus X-1 continues to reveal new aspects of its behaviour, and is arguably the best laboratory for relativistic jet astrophysics in the southern hemisphere. It is furthermore an excellent control to the large population of jets associated with accreting black holes.”
Dr Armstrong adds: “These types of observations are crucial for understanding the processes of both accretion of matter onto extremely dense systems, such as neutron stars and black holes of both about the sun’s mass, and also the so-called supermassive variety we now know to be at the centre of most galaxies.”
KAT-7 is the world’s first radio telescope array consisting of composite antenna structures. It is the test array for MeerKAT, a much larger radio array, which is itself in turn a precursor for the dish-based component of the SKA.
The MNRAS study was carried out as part of the development for the ThunderKAT project on MeerKAT, which will find many more of these types of systems in the galaxy and search for new types of radio systems that change rapidly with time.
Professor Fender, who is co-leader of the MeerKAT project, adds: “This project will test the extremes of physics, density, temperature, pressure, velocity, gravitational and magnetic fields, and are beyond anything achievable in any laboratory on Earth. It provides a unique glimpse of the laws of physics operating in extraordinary regimes. Nearly all such events are associated with transient radio emission. By studying radio bursts from these phenomena, we can pinpoint the sources of explosive events, probe relativistic accretion and understand the budget of kinetic feedback by such events in the ambient medium.”
###
Notes for editors:
1. A copy of the scientific paper ‘A return to strong radio flaring by Circinus X-1 observed with the Karoo Array Telescope test array KAT-7 (Armstrong et al, 2013)’ published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society is available from Media Relations on request.
2. Images available –
Image of Circinus X-1 showing the core source flaring
Caption – The bright region in the middle of the KAT-7 radio images, observed at 1822 MHz (with 256 MHz bandwidth), shows Circinus X-1. Also shown are several supernova remnants – the large loop mid bottom, and the smaller loop mid left, as well as several other radio sources.
An artist’s impression of the Circinus X-1 system showing the binary (double) star system.
Caption – The small white sphere is a neutron star an extremely dense and compact remnant of an exploded star, only about 20 km in diameter. The red sphere represents an ordinary star the companion star in this system. These two stars orbit each other every 16.6 days in an elliptical orbit. When the two stars are at their closest, the gravity of the dense neutron star pulls material from its companion star. An accretion disk (the wavy blue lines) forms around the neutron star, containing the matter that is sucked from the ordinary star. Powerful jets of material (the orange rays) then blasts out from the neutron star at almost the speed of light, causing powerful flares in radio frequencies.
High res images of KAT-7 are downloadable at: http://www.ska.ac.za/media/kat7.php
3. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 23,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover well in excess of 435 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country’s top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres including the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Institute for Life Sciences, the Web Science Trust and Doctoral training Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute and is a partner of the National Oceanography Centre at the Southampton waterfront campus. http://www.soton.ac.uk
For more information:
Peter Franklin, Media Relations, University of Southampton, Tel 023 8059 5457, email p.franklin@soton.ac.uk
Marina Joubert , SKA South Africa Project Office, email: marina@ska.ac.za /
Dr Richard Armstrong, email: richarms@ska.ac.za
http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/
Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/unisouthampton
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unisouthampton
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 16-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Peter Franklin p.franklin@soton.ac.uk 44-238-059-5457 University of Southampton
An international team of astronomers have reported the first scientific results from the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7) in South Africa, the pathfinder radio telescope for the $3 billion global Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.
The results appear in the latest issue of the prestigious international astronomical journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS).
Using the seven-dish KAT-7 telescope and the 26 m radio telescope at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), astronomers have observed a neutron star system known as Circinus X-1 as it fires energetic matter from its core into the surrounding system in extensive, compact `jets’ that flare brightly, details of which are visible only in radio waves.
Circinus X-1 is an X-ray binary (or two-star system) where one of the companion stars is a high-density, compact neutron star (a neutron star is an extremely dense and compact remnant of an exploded star and only 20km in diameter.) The two stars orbit each other every 16.5 days in an elliptical orbit. When the two stars are at their closest the gravity of the dense neutron star pulls material from the companion star. A powerful jet of material then blasts out from the system.
During the time astronomers, including a team from the University of Southampton, observed Circinus X-1 (13 December 2011 to 16 January 2012) the system flared twice at levels among the highest observed in recent years. KAT-7 was able to catch both of these flares and follow them as they progressed. This is the first time that the system has been observed in such detail during the full flare cycle.
“One way of explaining what is happening is that the compact neutron star gobbles up parts of its companion star and then fires much of this matter back out again,” explains Dr Richard Armstrong, an SKA SA Fellow at the University of Cape Town and lead author of the paper. “The dramatic radio flares happen when the matter Circinus X-1 has violently ejected slows down as it smashes into the surrounding medium.”
Professor Rob Fender, Head of the Astronomy Research Group at the University of Southampton, says: “Circinus X-1 continues to reveal new aspects of its behaviour, and is arguably the best laboratory for relativistic jet astrophysics in the southern hemisphere. It is furthermore an excellent control to the large population of jets associated with accreting black holes.”
Dr Armstrong adds: “These types of observations are crucial for understanding the processes of both accretion of matter onto extremely dense systems, such as neutron stars and black holes of both about the sun’s mass, and also the so-called supermassive variety we now know to be at the centre of most galaxies.”
KAT-7 is the world’s first radio telescope array consisting of composite antenna structures. It is the test array for MeerKAT, a much larger radio array, which is itself in turn a precursor for the dish-based component of the SKA.
The MNRAS study was carried out as part of the development for the ThunderKAT project on MeerKAT, which will find many more of these types of systems in the galaxy and search for new types of radio systems that change rapidly with time.
Professor Fender, who is co-leader of the MeerKAT project, adds: “This project will test the extremes of physics, density, temperature, pressure, velocity, gravitational and magnetic fields, and are beyond anything achievable in any laboratory on Earth. It provides a unique glimpse of the laws of physics operating in extraordinary regimes. Nearly all such events are associated with transient radio emission. By studying radio bursts from these phenomena, we can pinpoint the sources of explosive events, probe relativistic accretion and understand the budget of kinetic feedback by such events in the ambient medium.”
###
Notes for editors:
1. A copy of the scientific paper ‘A return to strong radio flaring by Circinus X-1 observed with the Karoo Array Telescope test array KAT-7 (Armstrong et al, 2013)’ published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society is available from Media Relations on request.
2. Images available –
Image of Circinus X-1 showing the core source flaring
Caption – The bright region in the middle of the KAT-7 radio images, observed at 1822 MHz (with 256 MHz bandwidth), shows Circinus X-1. Also shown are several supernova remnants – the large loop mid bottom, and the smaller loop mid left, as well as several other radio sources.
An artist’s impression of the Circinus X-1 system showing the binary (double) star system.
Caption – The small white sphere is a neutron star an extremely dense and compact remnant of an exploded star, only about 20 km in diameter. The red sphere represents an ordinary star the companion star in this system. These two stars orbit each other every 16.6 days in an elliptical orbit. When the two stars are at their closest, the gravity of the dense neutron star pulls material from its companion star. An accretion disk (the wavy blue lines) forms around the neutron star, containing the matter that is sucked from the ordinary star. Powerful jets of material (the orange rays) then blasts out from the neutron star at almost the speed of light, causing powerful flares in radio frequencies.
High res images of KAT-7 are downloadable at: http://www.ska.ac.za/media/kat7.php
3. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 23,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover well in excess of 435 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country’s top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres including the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Institute for Life Sciences, the Web Science Trust and Doctoral training Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute and is a partner of the National Oceanography Centre at the Southampton waterfront campus. http://www.soton.ac.uk
For more information:
Peter Franklin, Media Relations, University of Southampton, Tel 023 8059 5457, email p.franklin@soton.ac.uk
Marina Joubert , SKA South Africa Project Office, email: marina@ska.ac.za /
Dr Richard Armstrong, email: richarms@ska.ac.za
http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/
Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/unisouthampton
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unisouthampton
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Human disease leptospirosis identified in new species, the banded mongoose, in Africa
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The newest public health threat in Africa, scientists have found, is coming from a previously unknown source: the banded mongoose.
Leptospirosis, the disease is called. And the banded mongoose carries it.
Leptospirosis is the world’s most common illness transmitted to humans by animals. It’s a two-phase disease that begins with flu-like symptoms. If untreated, it can cause meningitis, liver damage, pulmonary hemorrhage, renal failure and death.
“The problem in Botswana and much of Africa is that leptospirosis may remain unidentified in animal populations but contribute to human disease, possibly misdiagnosed as other diseases such as malaria,” said disease ecologist Kathleen Alexander of Virginia Tech.
With a grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Coupled Natural and Human Systems Program, Alexander and colleagues found that the banded mongoose in Botswana is infected with Leptospira interrogans, the pathogen that causes leptospirosis.
Coupled Natural and Human Systems is part of NSF’s Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability investment and is supported by NSF’s Directorates for Biological Sciences; Geosciences; and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences.
“The transmission of infectious diseases from wildlife to humans represents a serious and growing public health risk due to increasing contact between humans and animals,” said Alan Tessier, program director in NSF’s Division of Environmental Biology. “This study identified an important new avenue for the spread of leptospirosis.”
The results are published today in a paper in the journalZoonoses and Public Health. The paper was co-authored by Alexander, Sarah Jobbins and Claire Sanderson of Virginia Tech.
The banded mongoose, although wild, lives in close proximity to humans, sharing scarce water resources and scavenging in human waste.
The disease-causing pathogen it carries can pass to humans through soil or water contaminated with infected urine.
Mongoose and other species are consumed as bushmeat, which may also contribute to leptospirosis exposure and infection in humans.
“I was convinced that we were going to find Leptospira interrogans in some species in the ecosystem,” said Alexander.
“The pathogen had not been reported previously in Botswana, with the exception of one cow more than a quarter of a century ago.
“We looked at public health records dating back to 1974 and there were no records of any human cases of leptospirosis. Doctors said they were not expecting to see the disease in patients. They were not aware that the pathogen occurred in the country.”
Alexander conducted a long-term study of human, wildlife and environmental health in the Chobe District of Northern Botswana, an area that includes the Chobe National Park, forest reserves and surrounding villages.
“This pathogen can infect many animals, both wild and domestic, including dogs,” said Jobbins. “Banded mongoose is likely not the only species infected.”
The researchers worked to understand how people, animals and the environment are connected, including the potential for diseases to move between humans and wildlife.
“Diseases such as leptospirosis that have been around for a very long time are often overlooked amid the hunt for the next newly emerging disease,” Alexander said.
Leptospirosis was first described in 1886, said Jobbins, “but we still know little about its occurrence in Africa.”
With the new identification of leptospirosis in Botswana, Alexander is concerned about the public health threat it may pose to the immunocompromised population there. Some 25 percent of 15- to 49-year-olds are HIV positive.
“In much of Africa, people die without a cause being determined,” she said.
“Leptospirosis is likely affecting human populations in this region. But without knowledge that the organism is present in the environment, overburdened public health officials are unlikely to identify clinical cases in humans, particularly if the supporting diagnostics are not easily accessible.”
The researchers looked for Leptospira interrogans in archived kidneys collected from banded mongoose that had been found dead from a variety of causes. Of the sampled mongoose, 43 percent tested positive for the pathogen.
“Given this high prevalence in the mongoose, we believe that Botswana possesses an as-yet-unidentified burden of human leptospirosis,” said Jobbins.
“There is an urgent need to look for this disease in people who have clinical signs consistent with infection.”
Because banded mongoose have an extended range across sub-Saharan Africa, the results have important implications for public health beyond Botswana.
“Investigating exposure in other wildlife, and assessing what species act as carriers, is essential for improving our understanding of human, wildlife, and domestic animal risk of leptospirosis in this ecosystem,” the scientists write in their paper.
The paper also cites predictions that the region will become more arid, concentrating humans and animals around limited water supplies and increasing the potential for disease transmission.
“Infectious diseases, particularly those that can be transmitted from animals, often occur where people are more vulnerable to environmental change and have less access to public health services,” said Alexander.
“That’s particularly true in Africa. While we’re concerned about emerging diseases that might threaten public health–the next new pandemic–we need to be careful that we don’t drop the ball and stop pursuing important diseases like leptospirosis.”
Alexander is working to identify immediate research and management actions–in particular, alerting frontline medical practitioners and public health officials to the potential for leptospirosis in humans.
###
National Science Foundation: http://www.nsf.gov
Thanks to National Science Foundation for this article.
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