Six Degrees of Separation: Attribution Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in OBB Personenverkehr AG v. Sachs

The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) generally prevents foreign sovereigns from falling within the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, subject to exceptions the FSIA lists. This commentary analyzes BB Personenverkehr AG v. Sachs, a case before the Supreme Court on the question of whether the commercial activities exception of the FSIA applies when only one element of a plaintiff\u27s claim is based upon commercial activity occurring in the United States and whether that sale can be attributed to a foreign sovereign. In this case, the plaintiff purchased a rail pass through an online, third-party travel agent. While traveling abroad and using the rail service, the plaintiff suffered severe physical injuries. The plaintiff then sued in U.S. courts for damages resulting from those injuries, arguing that the purchase of the ticket constituted commercial activity and that the ticket was sold by an agent of the rail service. The Author reviews the facts of the case and current law and concludes that the Court should rule in favor of the petitioners and hold that the sale of the ticket does meet the commercial-activity exception of the FSIA but that because a third-party sold the ticket, that action cannot be attributed to the state-owned rail service

Golabi-Ito-Hall syndrome results from a missense mutation in the WW domain of the PQBP1 gene

Background: Golabi, Ito, and Hall reported a family with X linked mental retardation (XLMR), microcephaly, postnatal growth deficiency, and other anomalies, including atrial septal defect, in 1984.Methods: This family was restudied as part of our ongoing study of XLMR, but significant linkage to X chromosome markers could not be found. Extreme short stature and microcephaly as well as other new clinical findings were observed. Mutations in the polyglutamine tract binding protein 1 gene (PQBP1) have recently been reported in four XLMR disorders (Renpenning, Hamel cerebro-palato-cardiac, Sutherland-Haan, and Porteous syndromes) as well as in several other families. The clinical similarity of our family to these patients with mutations in PQBP1, particularly the presence of microcephaly, short stature, and atrial septal defect, prompted examination of this gene.Results: A missense mutation in PQBP1 was identified which changed the conserved tyrosine residue in the WW domain at position 65 to a cysteine (p.Y65C).Conclusions: This is the first missense mutation identified in PQBP1 and the first mutation in the WW domain of the gene. The WW domain has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of transcription by interacting with the PPxY motif found in transcription factors. The p.Y65C mutation may affect the proper functioning of the PQBP1 protein as a transcriptional co-activator

Solución descentralizada del problema de planeamiento óptimo de reactivos en sistemas de potencia multi-areas

Este artículo describe un método de solución para el problema de flujo de potencia óptimo reactivo ORPF (por su acrónimo en inglés) en sistemas de potencia interconectados. El modelo del ORPF se resuelve usando una estrategia descentralizada por regiones ó áreas, donde el operador del sistema de transmisión en cada área opera su sistema independientemente de las otras áreas, obteniendo una solución óptima coordinada pero descentralizada. El esquema propuesto se basa en el método del Lagrangeano aumentado y utiliza el principio del problema auxiliar APP (por su acrónimo en inglés). Adicionalmente, se describe la implementación de un método de puntos interiores que permite resolver el problema desacoplado en cada área.This paper describes a method for the decentralized solution of the optimal reactive power flow (ORPF) problem in interconnected power systems. The ORPF model is solved in a decentralized framework, consisting of regions, where the transmission system operator in each area operates its system independently of the other areas, obtaining an optimal coordinated but decentralized solution. The proposed scheme is based on an augmented Lagrangian approach using the auxiliary problem principle (APP). An implementation of an interior point method is described to solve the decoupled problem in each area

Aspectos teóricos sobre el fenómeno de contaminación de aguas subterráneas

El fenómeno de contaminación de aguas subterráneas y el destino de ciertos constituyentes del agua tienen en cuenta diversos mecanismos de naturaleza física, química y biológica; en este trabajo se consigna de manera concisa, los aspectos teóricos de estos tópicos, es decir, los principios básicos de la hidráulica subterránea, los conceptos fundamentales de la física del movimiento y la química del agua subterránea, así como las ecuaciones que gobiernan el fenómeno de contaminación de la masa de agua contenida en los intersticios de los suelos y las rocas, ampliamente utilizadas en la modelación matemática del fenómeno

Caffeine's Vascular Mechanisms of Action

Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulating substance in the world. It is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate, and many medications. Caffeine is a xanthine with various effects and mechanisms of action in vascular tissue. In endothelial cells, it increases intracellular calcium stimulating the production of nitric oxide through the expression of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase enzyme. Nitric oxide is diffused to the vascular smooth muscle cell to produce vasodilation. In vascular smooth muscle cells its effect is predominantly a competitive inhibition of phosphodiesterase, producing an accumulation of cAMP and vasodilation. In addition, it blocks the adenosine receptors present in the vascular tissue to produce vasoconstriction. In this paper the main mechanisms of action of caffeine on the vascular tissue are described, in which it is shown that caffeine has some cardiovascular properties and effects which could be considered beneficial

Espermograma y su utilidad clínica

Resumen El espermograma es el examen de diagnóstico más importante y sencillo para iniciar el estudio de la fertilidad masculina. En él se evaluán los aspectos físicos del semen, como el volumen, pH, mucólisis, viscosidad, color y olor y los aspectos celulares que estudia el espermatozoide en relación con el número, movilidad, morfología y vitalidad. También ofrece información valiosa sobre la presencia de otras células como macrófagos, linfocitos, leucocitos, bacterias y hongos. El líquido seminal que es producido por las glándulas sexuales anexas puede ser evaluado además desde el punto de vista bioquímico e inmunológico. Palabras claves: Espermograma, infertilidad masculina, parámetros seminales. Abstract The spermogram is the simplest and the most important diagnostic to iniciate studies of malefertility. Weareabletoassessphysicalaspectssuchasvolume,pH,mucus,viscosity, colour, and odour as well as cellular aspects related to the spermatozoids such as their number, mobility, morphology, and vitality. In addition, it provide us with valuable information as to the presence and characteristics of other cells such as macrophages, lymphocytes, leucocytes, bacteria, and fungi. The seminal fluid produced by the accessory sexual glands may also be evaluated by biochemical and immunological means. Key words: Spermogram, infertility male, sperm parameters

The Present and Future of Insect Biodiversity Conservation in the Neotropics : Policy Gaps and Recommendations

Funding Information: We acknowledge members of the Natural Capital Project, the Land Change lab, and the Daily lab for insightful feedback. Additionally, we thank the reviewers for their helpful feedback on the manuscript. Funding Information: N. E. D. is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council NE/S007474/1, Oxford-NERC Doctoral Training Partnership in Environmental Research and an Oxford-Reuben Scholarship. A. E. was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Evaluación espectroscópica de un nuevo producto a base de pulpa de café

imagen hiperespectral en el rango VIS?NIR (400?1000 nm) para la evaluación de la pulpa de café deshidratada. La espectroscopia NIR ha mostrado su potencial para la segregación de muestras de pulpa con diferentes contenidos en humedad. Tanto la espectroscopia VIS como la imagen hiperespectral han mostrado su viabilidad para identificar el producto como de pulpa roja o amarilla o a una mezcla de ambas, a pesar de que en el producto deshidratado dejan de percibirse los tonos rojos o amarillos. Las herramientas quimiométricas aplicadas desvelan que las regiones del espectro entre 400 y 500 nm, banda de absorción de carotenos, y entre 500 y 535 nm, región de absorción relacionada con las antocioaninas, son las más significativas en los modelos de clasificación, lo que indica que la espectroscopia visible es capaz de percibir cualitativamente las posibles diferencias en los patrones de pigmentos presentes en la pulpa deshidratada de las variedades rojas y de las variedades amarillas