Corporate Complicity in International Criminal Law: Potential Responsibility of European Arms Dealers for Crimes Committed in Yemen

This article examines the question of corporate complicity within the framework of international criminal law and, more specifically, at the International Criminal Court (ICC). It does so by referencing a communication to the ICC filed by several non-governmental organizations, inviting the prosecutor to examine potential criminal responsibility of several European corporate officials who are knowingly supplying weapons to the United Arab Emirates/Saudi-led coalition currently engaged in a military offensive in Yemen. This submission raises an important legal question of whether the ICC’s Rome Statute provides for the possibility to hold corporate officials accountable in cases of complicity in gross human rights and humanitarian law violations. This article purports to answer this question by scrutinizing two specific provisions of the Rome Statute: Article 25(3)(c), which discusses aiding and abetting for the purpose of facilitating the commission of a crime, and Article 25(3)(d), which criminalizes contributions to the commission of a crime by a group of persons acting with a common purpose

Alport Syndrome

Alport syndrome is a multisystem disorder including progressive renal disease, sensorineural deafness, and eye abnormalities. The high risk of cardiovascular pathology in patients with Alport syndrome was also described recently. The syndrome is caused by mutations in COL4A3, COL4A4, and COL4A5 genes, which lead to defects in glomerular filtration barrier and other basement membrane. The diagnosis of Alport syndrome should be suspected in patients with glomerular hematuria and with family history of renal failure. The severity of the individual symptoms and renal prognosis are variable and depend on gene mutation type. The current standard of treatment is the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, which delay the progression of renal failure in Alport syndrome. The recent knowledge in pathogenesis of disease opens new therapeutic perspectives

Development of an Extruded Potato Snack Using Recycled Materials

The study is aimed at solving the problem of snacks deficiency corresponding to the concept of a balanced diet. Snacks were made using rational process parameters using fish powder obtained from the fillet waste of protein-rich salmon and malt grains rich in dietary fiber. The composition of the recipe mixture was optimized through calculation and a series of experiments. In investigate took as calculated variables the starch and fat content in the recipe mixture and the biological value; as response variables, organoleptic properties and expansion coefficient. The result was an extruded snack, consisting of 79% of crushed dried potatoes, of 8% of fish powder and of 12% of malt grains, which, in comparison with similar snacks, has a higher biological value of 83%, an increased protein content of 14.5% and a dietary fiber value of 8.4 %, a reduced fat content of 1% and a reduced energy value of 340 kcal. The analysis of the quality indicators of the snack confirmed that this product satisfies the requirements for snacks in terms of physicochemical, organoleptic, microbiological and safety indicators. The developed potato extruded snack is targeted at different population groups and is a healthier alternative to potato chips

Zamyatin\u27s Reception of Wells\u27s Fiction

In their article Zamyatin\u27s Reception of Well\u27s Fiction, Natalia Aksenova and Marina Albertovna Khatyamova examine several essays written by Yevgeny Zamyatin on Herbert Wells\u27s texts and analyse Zamyatin\u27s reception of Wells\u27s work. Wells\u27s ironic mindset, plot-driven writings, and attraction to parody drew Zamyatin\u27s attention. Zamyatin felt a rapport with the central role of plot dynamics, unorthodox socialist politics, and dystopian tendencies in Wells\u27s fiction. Discussions of the artistic qualities of Wells\u27s writings allow Zamyatin to expound upon his own aesthetic program, known as synthetism. In these discussions Zamyatin interprets Wells\u27s work as a complex interpretation of technological modernity where the line between humans and gods is actively blurred, and traces the origins of Wellsian fiction to his predecessors, mostly English-language adventure writers. In doing so, Zamyatin gives Wells credit for extending the typical adventure novel into a philosophical realm while keeping it entertaining and captivating. Furthermore, in terms of the reimagining of the Apollonian and Dionisyan opposition as an opposition between English and Irish in Zamyatin\u27s English stories of the same period, Wells is read as a typical Englishman: an unorthodox heretic. Ultimately, it becomes clear that these are the qualities that Zamyatin values most in Wells

Zamyatin's Reception of Wells's Fiction

In their article "Zamyatin's Reception of Well's Fiction," Natalia Aksenova and Marina Albertovna Khatyamova examine several essays written by Yevgeny Zamyatin on Herbert Wells's texts and analyse Zamyatin's reception of Wells's work. Wells's ironic mindset, plot-driven writings, and attraction to parody drew Zamyatin's attention. Zamyatin felt a rapport with the central role of plot dynamics, unorthodox socialist politics, and dystopian tendencies in Wells's fiction. Discussions of the artistic qualities of Wells's writings allow Zamyatin to expound upon his own aesthetic program, known as "synthetism." In these discussions Zamyatin interprets Wells's work as a complex interpretation of technological modernity where the line between humans and gods is actively blurred, and traces the origins of Wellsian fiction to his predecessors, mostly English-language adventure writers. In doing so, Zamyatin gives Wells credit for extending the typical adventure novel into a philosophical realm while keeping it entertaining and captivating. Furthermore, in terms of the reimagining of the Apollonian and Dionisyan opposition as an opposition between English and Irish in Zamyatin's "English stories" of the same period, Wells is read as a typical Englishman: an unorthodox heretic. Ultimately, it becomes clear that these are the qualities that Zamyatin values most in Wells

Aetiology, course and treatment of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis in paediatric patients : A cross-sectional web-based survey

Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.Background Acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) is a significant cause of acute renal failure in paediatric and adult patients. There are no large paediatric series focusing on the aetiology, treatment and courses of acute TIN. Patients, design and setting We collected retrospective clinical data from paediatric patients with acute biopsy-proven TIN by means of an online survey. Members of four professional societies were invited to participate. Results Thirty-nine physicians from 18 countries responded. 171 patients with acute TIN were included (54% female, median age 12 years). The most frequent causes were tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome in 31% and drug-induced TIN in 30% (the majority of these caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). In 28% of patients, no initiating noxae were identified (idiopathic TIN). Median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) rose significantly from 31 at time of renal biopsy to 86 mL/ min/1.73 m2 3-6 months later (p<0.001). After 3-6 months, eGFR normalised in 41% of patients (eGFR ≥90 mL/ min/1.73 m2), with only 3% having severe or end-stage impairment of renal function (<30 mL/min/1.73 m2). 80% of patients received corticosteroid therapy. Median eGFR after 3-6 months did not differ between steroid-treated and steroid-untreated patients. Other immunosuppressants were used in 18% (n=31) of patients, 21 of whom received mycophenolate mofetil. Conclusions Despite different aetiologies, acute paediatric TIN had a favourable outcome overall with 88% of patients showing no or mild impairment of eGFR after 3-6 months. Prospective randomised controlled trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of glucocorticoid treatment in paediatric patients with acute TIN.Peer reviewe

Endogenous amyloidogenesis in long-term rat hippocampal cell cultures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Long-term primary neuronal cultures are a useful tool for the investigation of biochemical processes associated with neuronal senescence. Improvements in available technology make it possible to observe maturation of neural cells isolated from different regions of the rodent brain over a prolonged period <it>in vitro</it>. Existing experimental evidence suggests that cellular aging occurs in mature, long-term, primary neuronal cell cultures. However, detailed studies of neuronal development <it>in vitro </it>are needed to demonstrate the validity of long-term cell culture-based models for investigation of the biochemical mechanisms of <it>in vitro </it>neuronal development and senescence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the current study, neuron-enriched hippocampal cell cultures were used to analyze the differentiation and degeneration of hippocampal neurons over a two month time period. The expression of different neuronal and astroglial biomarkers was used to determine the cytochemical characteristics of hippocampal cells in long-term cultures of varying ages. It was observed that the expression of the intermediate filament nestin was absent from cultures older than 21 days in vitro (DIV), and the expression of neuronal or astrocytic markers appeared to replace nestin. Additionally, morphological evaluations of neuronal integrity and Hoescht staining were used to assess the cellular conditions in the process of hippocampal culture development and aging. It was found that there was an increase in endogenous production of Aβ_1-42and an increase in the accumulation of Congo Red-binding amyloidal aggregates associated with the aging of neurons in primary culture. <it>In vitro </it>changes in the morphology of co-existing astrocytes and cell culture age-dependent degeneration of neurodendritic network resemble features of <it>in vivo </it>brain aging at the cellular level.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, this study suggests that long-term primary CNS culture is a viable model for the study of basic mechanisms and effective methods to decelerate the process of neuronal senescence.</p

Videogames and problems of media translation in the context of comparison of narratology and ludology

The article studies the possibility of translating a video game into other types of media, as well as the possibility of a reverse process. Research results received within the framework of the narratological theory of video games and the ludological theory of video games are used as methodological ground. The authors rely on the concept of translation presented in the works of B. Latour. The main provisions and conclusions are formulated by comparing ludological and narratological approaches to the problem of transferring a video game to other media types (cinema), as well as the reverse process. Basic concepts are identified, key points of methodological interest are set out. The article provides illustrative examples of video game translation into cinema, as well as examples of reverse translation, that are commented and explained in the context of the given methodologies. The conclusion is made about the prospects for investigating the issue in the context of media research and media practice

Mosaic Structure as the Main Feature of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Genomes

Background: The genome stability of attenuated live BCG vaccine preventing the acute forms of childhood tuberculosis is an important aspect of vaccine production. The purpose of our study was a whole genome comparative analysis of BCG sub-strains and identification of potential triggers of sub-strains’ transition

Digenic Alport Syndrome

Digenic Alport syndrome refers to the inheritance of pathogenic variants in COL4A5 plus COL4A3 or COL4A4 or in COL4A3 plus COL4A4. Where digenic Alport syndrome includes a pathogenic COL4A5 variant, the consequences depend on the sex of the affected individual, COL4A5 variant ?severity,? and the nature of the COL4A3 or COL4A4 change. A man with a pathogenic COL4A5 variant has all his collagen IV ?3?4?5-heterotrimers affected, and an additional COL4A3 or COL4A4 variant may not worsen disease. A woman with a pathogenic COL4A5 variant has on average 50% of her heterotrimers affected, which is increased to 75% with a further COL4A3 or COL4A4 variant and associated with a higher risk of proteinuria. In digenic Alport syndrome with pathogenic COL4A3 and COL4A4 variants, 75% of the heterotrimers are affected. The COL4A3 and COL4A4 genes occur head-to-head on chromosome 2, and inheritance is autosomal dominant when both variants affect the same chromosome (in cis) or recessive when they affect different chromosomes (in trans). This form of digenic disease results in increased proteinuria and a median age of kidney failure intermediate between autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive Alport syndrome. Previous guidelines have suggested that all pathogenic or likely pathogenic digenic variants should be identified and reported. Affected family members should be identified, treated, and discouraged from kidney donation. Inheritance within a family is easier to predict if the two variants are considered independently and if COL4A3 and COL4A4 variants are known to be inherited on the same or different chromosomes