Anarchism and non-domination

This is the final version. Available on open access from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.In this article we recover the classical anarchist deployment of republican tropes of non-domination, tyranny and slavery, to expose the conservative limits of the contemporary neo-Roman republican revival. For the anarchists, the modern nation state and the institution of private property are antithetical to freedom as non-domination, acting as structural constraints to freedom rather than the means for its realisation. We re-examine the grounds of this critique to advance two arguments. First, that a commitment to either the state or private property represents an unwarranted positive moral and ethical commitment that skews the negative theory of freedom contemporary republicans seek to develop. Second, the prior moral commitment to the state renders neo-Roman republicanism fundamentally conservative. Anarchist theories of freedom as non-domination push much further than the contemporary republican revival seems to permit, opening new possibilities for institutional and constitutional innovation while remaining consistent with the core republican normative value of non-domination

Antiviral Activity of 4′-thioIDU and Thymidine Analogs against Orthopoxviruses

The search for effective therapies for orthopoxvirus infections has identified diverse classes of molecules with antiviral activity. Pyrimidine analogs, such as 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuridine (idoxuridine, IDU) were among the first compounds identified with antiviral activity against a number of orthopoxviruses and have been reported to be active both in vitro and in animal models of infection. More recently, additional analogs have been reported to have improved antiviral activity against orthopoxviruses including several derivatives of deoxyuridine with large substituents in the 5 position, as well as analogs with modifications in the deoxyribose moiety including (north)-methanocarbathymidine, and 5-iodo-4′-thio-2′-deoxyuridine (4′-thioIDU). The latter molecule has proven to have good antiviral activity against the orthopoxviruses both in vitro and in vivo and has the potential to be an effective therapy in humans

Taxing the Informal Economy: The Current State of Knowledge and Agendas for Future Research

This paper reviews the literature on taxation of the informal economy, taking stock of key debates and drawing attention to recent innovations. Conventionally, the debate on whether to tax has frequently focused on the limited revenue potential, high cost of collection, and potentially adverse impact on small firms. Recent arguments have increasingly emphasised the more indirect benefits of informal taxation in relation to economic growth, broader tax compliance, and governance. More research is needed, we argue, into the relevant costs and benefits for all, including quasi-voluntary compliance, political and administrative incentives for reform, and citizen-state bargaining over taxation

Human cytomegalovirus uracil DNA glycosylase associates with ppUL44 and accelerates the accumulation of viral DNA

BACKGROUND: Human cytomegalovirus UL114 encodes a uracil-DNA glycosylase homolog that is highly conserved in all characterized herpesviruses that infect mammals. Previous studies demonstrated that the deletion of this nonessential gene delays significantly the onset of viral DNA synthesis and results in a prolonged replication cycle. The gene product, pUL114, also appears to be important in late phase DNA synthesis presumably by introducing single stranded breaks. RESULTS: A series of experiments was performed to formally assign the observed phenotype to pUL114 and to characterize the function of the protein in viral replication. A cell line expressing pUL114 complemented the observed phenotype of a UL114 deletion virus in trans, confirming that the observed defects were the result of a deficiency in this gene product. Stocks of recombinant viruses without elevated levels of uracil were produced in the complementing cells; however they retained the phenotype of poor growth in normal fibroblasts suggesting that poor replication was unrelated to uracil content of input genomes. Recombinant viruses expressing epitope tagged versions of this gene demonstrated that pUL114 was expressed at early times and that it localized to viral replication compartments. This protein also coprecipitated with the DNA polymerase processivity factor, ppUL44 suggesting that these proteins associate in infected cells. This apparent interaction did not appear to require other viral proteins since ppUL44 could recruit pUL114 to the nucleus in uninfected cells. An analysis of DNA replication kinetics revealed that the initial rate of DNA synthesis and the accumulation of progeny viral genomes were significantly reduced compared to the parent virus. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that pUL114 associates with ppUL44 and that it functions as part of the viral DNA replication complex to increase the efficiency of both early and late phase viral DNA synthesis

Fantasies of subjugation: a discourse theoretical account of British policy on the European Union

The decision by the UK government to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union (EU) marks an important development in policy towards the EU. Policy changes of this kind must be understood in the historical and political context in which they occur. This includes the framing of the policy issues within public discourse. In the UK, policies are formed in a discursive environment which is overwhelmingly hostile towards the EU. Debates are structured by a predominantly Euroskeptic discourse which emphasizes the UK’s separation and heterogeneity from the rest of the EU. Drawing on the logics of critical explanation, this article examines the structure and affective power of Euroskeptic discourses which dictate the terms of the EU debate. It presents a case study of the recent EU treaty revision process, culminating in the Treaty of Lisbon. In so doing, it enables a deeper understanding of recent policy developments

Assays to Detect β-Tubulin Codon 200 Polymorphism in Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides

The soil-transmitted helminths Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura are gastrointestinal nematodes causing many disabilities in tropical parts of the developing world. Control programs, such as “The Focussing Resources on Effective School Health” (FRESH) Partnership, have been implemented to remove human soil-transmitted nematodes through large-scale use of benzimidazole anthelmintic drugs for school-aged children in developing countries. The benzimidazole drugs albendazole and mebendazole are commonly used as a single annual treatment in areas where the burden is high. In veterinary nematodes, repeated use of these anthelmintics has selected for resistant populations. Resistance to benzimidazoles is commonly associated with a single amino acid substitution from phenylalanine to tyrosine in the β-tubulin gene at position 200. In this study, we have developed pyrosequencing assays for codon 200 in A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura to screen for this single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in β-tubulin. The 200Tyr SNP was detected at low frequency in T. trichiura from non-treated people from Kenya and at high frequency in T. trichiura from treated people from Panama. The presence of the resistance-associated SNP may play a role in the sometimes low and variable efficacy of benzimidazole anthelmintics against T. trichiura