Four functions of mens rea

Everyone agrees that mens rea is relevant to fault. The maxim actus non fit reus nisi mens sit rea has been around for centuries.1 According to foundational principles of the criminal law, it is normally not enough to support a conviction that D perpetrates the actus reus. Neither should it be. Causing harm to another person may be unfortunate, but the moral turpitude associated with a criminal conviction requires some element of fault. And to show that, we need mens rea

Inducing breach of contract: one tort or two?

IT is said to be a tort for D intentionally to induce C to break C’s contract with P. Where this occurs, P has an action in tort against D, quite apart from P’s action for breach of contract against C. But the rationale for this tort is controversial, and its legitimacy has been doubted by a number of commentators

Myxoma virus protein M029 is a dual function immunomodulator that inhibits PKR and also conscripts RHA/DHX9 to promote expanded host tropism and viral replication.

Myxoma virus (MYXV)-encoded protein M029 is a member of the poxvirus E3 family of dsRNA-binding proteins that antagonize the cellular interferon signaling pathways. In order to investigate additional functions of M029, we have constructed a series of targeted M029-minus (vMyx-M029KO and vMyx-M029ID) and V5-tagged M029 MYXV. We found that M029 plays a pivotal role in determining the cellular tropism of MYXV in all mammalian cells tested. The M029-minus viruses were able to replicate only in engineered cell lines that stably express a complementing protein, such as vaccinia E3, but underwent abortive or abated infection in all other tested mammalian cell lines. The M029-minus viruses were dramatically attenuated in susceptible host European rabbits and caused no observable signs of myxomatosis. Using V5-tagged M029 virus, we observed that M029 expressed as an early viral protein is localized in both the nuclear and cytosolic compartments in virus-infected cells, and is also incorporated into virions. Using proteomic approaches, we have identified Protein Kinase R (PKR) and RNA helicase A (RHA)/DHX9 as two cellular binding partners of M029 protein. In virus-infected cells, M029 interacts with PKR in a dsRNA-dependent manner, while binding with DHX9 was not dependent on dsRNA. Significantly, PKR knockdown in human cells rescued the replication defect of the M029-knockout viruses. Unexpectedly, this rescue of M029-minus virus replication by PKR depletion could then be reversed by RHA/DHX9 knockdown in human monocytic THP1 cells. This indicates that M029 not only inhibits generic PKR anti-viral pathways, but also binds and conscripts RHA/DHX9 as a pro-viral effector to promote virus replication in THP1 cells. Thus, M029 is a critical host range and virulence factor for MYXV that is required for replication in all mammalian cells by antagonizing PKR-mediated anti-viral functions, and also conscripts pro-viral RHA/DHX9 to promote viral replication specifically in myeloid cells

Women of the World Festival: celebrity, solidarity, and activism

Winnie M Li is a first-year PhD researcher in the Dept of Media and Communications, focusing on the impact of social media and storytelling on the public dialogue about rape. She is also writes for The Huffington Post about sexual assault, and this year, she co-founded the Clear Lines Festival, the UK’s first-ever festival dedicated to talking about sexual assault and consent through the arts and discussion. The festival was entirely crowd-funded, and brought together over 60 artists, speakers, comedians, and journalists to engage with the public on the issue

Q and A with Winnie M Li on Complicit

‘Like the best filmmakers, Li draws you to the edge of your seat and keeps you there’. Following Winnie M Li’s debut novel Dark Chapter, winner of the Not the Booker Prize 2017, Complicit is her new thriller that follows protagonist Sarah Lai as she reflects on her past experiences of silence, suppression and abuse in the film industry. We speak to Winnie M Li about writing the novel, delving into workplace practices and webs of complicity, the power of fiction for social justice movements and the need for spaces of collective healing. Q&A with Winnie M Li on Complicit. Orion Books (UK)/Atria Books (US). 2022

Ecopoetry as Method: Reading Gary Snyder as a Cultural Mediator between China and the World

Ecocriticism is a field that is inherently cross-cultural, and poetry is an art form that creates bonds across cultural communities. This paper focuses on Gary Snyder, a prominent poet in his own right, who is famous for his translation of the works by Chinese poet Han Shan. His attraction to Chinese classical poetry and Eastern civilization offers an alternative to the Western developmental paradigm, and the ecopoetry he espouses is pertinent to today’s environmental debates. His references to nature do not function merely as reminders that nature should be respected but as an impetus to reflect on the coexistence of multiple temporalities and agencies. This paper examines Chinese poetry’s inspirational effect on Snyder and analyzes his translations of Han Shan’s poetry. Snyder’s ecocritical insights have had a wide influence, particularly on the work of Hong Kong poet Xi Xi. This circulation of poetry offers a means of bridging Western and Eastern cultures. The mutual enrichment achieved by such cultural translations provides a means of transcending the simplistic dichotomies of the East and West

The water footprint of global food production

Agricultural production is the main consumer of water. Future population growth, income growth, and dietary shifts are expected to increase demand for water. The paper presents a brief review of the water footprint of crop production and the sustainability of the blue water footprint. The estimated global consumptive (green plus blue) water footprint ranges from 5938 to 8508 km3/year. The water footprint is projected to increase by as much as 22% due to climate change and land use change by 2090. Approximately 57% of the global blue water footprint is shown to violate the environmental flow requirements. This calls for action to improve the sustainability of water and protect ecosystems that depend on it. Some of the measures include increasing water productivity, setting benchmarks, setting caps on the water footprint per river basin, shifting the diets to food items with low water requirements, and reducing food waste

The impact of trade, trade policy and external shocks on the Philippine economy based on the PIDS-NEDA macaroeconometric model

This report analyzes the impact of the external 'sector and of Some economic policies on the Philippine economy ba'sed on the reSultS of the simulations Suggested for this year's Model Comparisons WOrkShop, The Simulation's were done uSing the latest verSion of the PIDS-NEDA Annual Macroeconometric Model for the Philippines. ThiS report alSo deScribe's how the simulation's were carried out and what adjustments and aSSumptionS were made. To allow a better appreciation and understanding of the re'sult's, a brief description of the model structure iS presented with particular emphaSiS on the external 'sector and itS linkages with the real and financial SectorS. The baseline Solution and the simulations were done for the period 1980-1986. No constant adjustments were incorporated and So the estimated values are not the Same aS the actual values, although they are reasonably close to each other

Pathway Weathering in Granitoid Rocks from Central Region of Angola: Geochemical and Mineralogical Data

The Central Region of Angola is characterized by the abundance of granitoid rocks, whose weathering “in situ” originated the so-called residual soils. The textural, geochemical and mineralogical properties of these soils depend not only on the chemical composition of parent rock, but mainly on the local climatic and geomorphological characteristics. In the study area, sampling sites were selected, which extend from the region of Kwanza- Norte (Kassenda, Dondo) through Kwanza-Sul (Cangulo, Quibala and Waco Kungo) until the plateau of Huambo, where samples of fresh rock, weathered rock and its residual soil were collected along each weathering profile. Chemical analytical data were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of the major and minor elements, whereas mineralogical data were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), on the samples of rock and on the respective residual soil. The results obtained and their comparative analysis between the sampling sites, as well as along each weathering profile is presented. This paper allows contributing to the knowledge of the geochemical weathering in tropical areas, as is the case of Angola

The inability of vaccinia virus A33R protein to form intermolecular disulfide-bonded homodimers does not affect the production of infectious extracellular virus

AbstractThe orthopoxvirus protein A33 forms a disulfide-bonded high molecular weight species that could be either a homodimer or a heteromultimer. The protein is a major target for neutralizing antibodies and the majority of antibodies raised against A33 only recognize the disulfide-bonded form. Here, we report that A33 is present as a disulfide-bonded homodimer during infection. Additionally, we examined the function of intermolecular disulfide bonding in A33 homodimerization during infection. We show that the cysteine at amino acid 62 is required for intermolecular disulfide bonding, but not dimerization as this mutant was still able to form homodimers. To investigate the role of disulfide-bonded homodimers during viral morphogenesis, recombinant viruses that express an A33R with cysteine 62 mutated to serine were generated. The recombinant viruses had growth characteristics similar to their parental viruses, indicating that intermolecular disulfide-bonded homodimerization of A33 is not required for its function