Fax from Julio A. Baez to M. Cherif Bassiouni, Subject: Your telefax dated 16 June 1993

Fax from Julio A. Baez to M. Cherif Bassiouni, Subject: Your telefax dated 16 June 1993, enclosing letter from Philippe Miserez to Julio Baez dated 19 May 1993 and the list of prisons regularly visited by the International Committee of the Red Crosshttps://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/documents_780/1031/thumbnail.jp

Sediment yield at southwest Ethiopia's forest frontier

Deforestation is one of the major factors affecting soil erosion in tropical regions but to what extent does the crop growth in deforested areas protect the land from erosion? We evaluated the effect of deforestation on suspended sediment yield at the scale of zero-order catchments by contrasting five paired small forest and cropland catchments at Ethiopia's southwestern forest frontier. Suspended sediment samples were collected from nine San Dimas flumes and one V-notch weir installed in catchments draining the natural forest and cropland, at different altitudes. The suspended sediment data were collected from June 8 to October 30, 2013 and 2014. The suspended sediment yield of both land-use types was strongly correlated with the corresponding runoff discharge. The results show that the average seasonal suspended sediment yield from cropland (17.0 +/- 7.6 Mg ha(-1)) is four times higher than from the paired forests (4.0 +/- 1.9 Mg ha(-1)). High sediment yields from forests are related to livestock grazing, but forests still have an important role in the protection of the surface soil from erosion at southwest Ethiopia's forest frontier. Land management in southwestern Ethiopia's highlands will need a strong change in paradigm, in which the overall belief in the recently imported mahrasha ard plough is abandoned, oxen and other cattle decreased in number and kept in homesteads, the forests being protected from human and livestock interferences and the open farmlands turned into agroforestry. Such an approach is still possible as all required elements are available in the landscape

Crystal orientation mapping and microindentation reveal anisotropy in Porites skeletons

Structures made by scleractinian corals support diverse ocean ecosystems. Despite the importance of coral skeletons and their predicted vulnerability to climate change, few studies have examined the mechanical and crystallographic properties of coral skeletons at the micro- and nano-scales. Here, we investigated the interplay of crystallographic and microarchitectural organization with mechanical anisotropy within Porites skeletons by measuring Young’s modulus and hardness along surfaces transverse and longitudinal to the primary coral growth direction. We observed micro-scale anisotropy, where the transverse surface had greater Young’s modulus and hardness by ∼ 6 GPa and 0.2 GPa, respectively. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that this surface also had a higher percentage of crystals oriented with the a-axis between ± 30-60∘, relative to the longitudinal surface, and a broader grain size distribution. Within a region containing a sharp microscale gradient in Young’s modulus, nanoscale indentation mapping, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), EBSD, and Raman crystallography were performed. A correlative trend showed higher Young’s modulus and hardness in regions with individual crystal bases (c-axis) facing upward, and in crystal fibers relative to centers of calcification. These relationships highlight the difference in mechanical properties between scales (i.e. crystals, crystal bundles, grains). Observations of crystal orientation and mechanical properties suggest that anisotropy is driven by microscale organization and crystal packing, rather than intrinsic crystal anisotropy. In comparison with previous observations of nanoscale isotropy in corals, our results illustrate the role of hierarchical architecture in coral skeletons and the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on mechanical properties at different scales

Cryo-EM structure of the polyphosphate polymerase VTC reveals coupling of polymer synthesis to membrane transit.

The eukaryotic vacuolar transporter chaperone (VTC) complex acts as a polyphosphate (polyP) polymerase that synthesizes polyP from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and translocates polyP across the vacuolar membrane to maintain an intracellular phosphate (P <sub>i</sub> ) homeostasis. To discover how the VTC complex performs its function, we determined a cryo-electron microscopy structure of an endogenous VTC complex (Vtc4/Vtc3/Vtc1) purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 3.1 Å resolution. The structure reveals a heteropentameric architecture of one Vtc4, one Vtc3, and three Vtc1 subunits. The transmembrane region forms a polyP-selective channel, likely adopting a resting state conformation, in which a latch-like, horizontal helix of Vtc4 limits the entrance. The catalytic Vtc4 central domain is located on top of the pseudo-symmetric polyP channel, creating a strongly electropositive pathway for nascent polyP that can couple synthesis to translocation. The SPX domain of the catalytic Vtc4 subunit positively regulates polyP synthesis by the VTC complex. The noncatalytic Vtc3 regulates VTC through a phosphorylatable loop. Our findings, along with the functional data, allow us to propose a mechanism of polyP channel gating and VTC complex activation

Parcours de vie, récit et moments forts : entre défis et ressources. Une recherche-intervention à l'Ecole Technique de Ste-Croix

La littérature sur les transitions, en particulier entre l'école obligatoire et l'école professionnelle ou l'école et la vie professionnelle, attire l'attention sur le fait que les parcours personnels sont aujourd'hui moins linéaires. Les transitions professionnelles sont alors décrites comme des moments de difficultés, de ruptures, de vulnérabilité pour les jeunes (Pagnossin & Armi, 2011 ; Rastoldo, Amos & Davaud, 2009). Dans notre domaine en psychologie « socioculturelle », si ces aspects ne sont pas négligés, l'accent est mis sur l'importance du travail de construction de sens par la personne : indépendamment des zigzags de sa vie, l'important est la mise en cohérence, les liens de sens qu'elle peut reconstruire entre les différentes sphères d'expériences qui constituent son identité. Et pour cela, les ressources sociales et institutionnelles (parents, enseignants, groupes de pairs, dispositifs de formation...) mais aussi matérielles et culturelles (chansons, poèmes, films, romans, récits, etc.) peuvent être très importantes (Masdonati & Zittoun, 2012 ; Zittoun, 2012). L'étude-intervention qui sera présentée dans ce document, réalisée auprès d'une classe d'apprentis de l'Ecole technique de Ste-Croix par un groupe d'étudiants en Master en psychologie (UniL), s'inscrit dans un mouvement plus large qui cherche à rendre compte du point de vue des acteurs (Muller Mirza & Perret-Clermont, 2015) liés à la question des transitions des jeunes : il s'agira ici de celui des apprentis eux-mêmes, de manière à explorer ce qu'ils vivent en termes de difficultés, de ressources utilisées et d'apprentissages réalisés, ainsi que celui des personnes qui les accompagnent dans ces processus, les enseignants. Cette étude visait non seulement à recueillir des informations auprès de ces personnes mais également à réaliser un travail de type réflexif, par la mise en place d'activités en classe destinées aux apprentis, basées sur le « récit de vie » comme outil psychologique

Classification of primary and incisional abdominal wall hernias

A classification for primary and incisional abdominal wall hernias is needed to allow comparison of publications and future studies on these hernias. It is important to know whether the populations described in different studies are comparable.Comparative StudyConsensus Development ConferenceJournal ArticleReviewSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

SNARE-mediated membrane fusion arrests at pore expansion to regulate the volume of an organelle.

Constitutive membrane fusion within eukaryotic cells is thought to be controlled at its initial steps, membrane tethering and SNARE complex assembly, and to rapidly proceed from there to full fusion. Although theory predicts that fusion pore expansion faces a major energy barrier and might hence be a rate-limiting and regulated step, corresponding states with non-expanding pores are difficult to assay and have remained elusive. Here, we show that vacuoles in living yeast are connected by a metastable, non-expanding, nanoscopic fusion pore. This is their default state, from which full fusion is regulated. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that SNAREs and the SM protein-containing HOPS complex stabilize this pore against re-closure. Expansion of the nanoscopic pore to full fusion can thus be triggered by osmotic pressure gradients, providing a simple mechanism to rapidly adapt organelle volume to increases in its content. Metastable, nanoscopic fusion pores are then not only a transient intermediate but can be a long-lived, physiologically relevant and regulated state of SNARE-dependent membrane fusion

OC-057 PREVENTION OF INCISIONAL HERNIAS BY PROPHYLACTIC MESH-AUGMENTED REINFORCEMENT OF MIDLINE LAPAROTOMIES FOR ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM TREATMENT. 5-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

peer reviewedAbstract Introduction The incidence of incisional hernias (IHs) after open repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is high. Several randomized controlled trials have reported favorable results with the use of prophylactic mesh to prevent IHs, without increasing complications. In this analysis we report on the results of the 60-month follow-up of the PRIMAAT trial (Ann Surg 2016; 263(4): 638–45). Methods In a prospective, multicenter, open label, randomized design, patients were randomized between prophylactic retrorectus mesh reinforcement (MESH group), and primary closure of their midline laparotomy after open AAA repair (NOMESH group). This article reports on the results of clinical follow-up after 60 months. If performed, ultrasonography or computed tomography were used for the diagnosis of IHs. Results Of the 120 randomized patients, 114 were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Thirty-three patients in the NOMESH group (33/58–56.9%) and 34 patients in the MESH group (34/56–60.7%) were evaluated after 5 years. The cumulative incidence of IHs in the NOMESH group was 32.9% after 24 months and 49.2% after 60 months. No incisional hernias were diagnosed in the MESH group. In the NOMESH group, 21.7% (5/23) underwent reoperation within 5 years due to an IH. Conclusion Prophylactic retrorectus mesh reinforcement after midline laparotomy for the treatment of AAAs safely and effectively decreases the rate of IHs. The cumulative incidence of IHs after open AAA repair, when no mesh is used, continues to increase during the first 5 years after surgery, which leads to a substantial rate of hernia repairs

Reporting guideline for interventional trials of primary and incisional ventral hernia repair

BACKGROUND: Primary and incisional ventral hernia trials collect unstandardized inconsistent data, limiting data interpretation and comparison. This study aimed to create two minimum data sets for primary and incisional ventral hernia interventional trials to standardize data collection and improve trial comparison. To support these data sets, standardized patient-reported outcome measures and trial methodology criteria were created. METHODS: To construct these data sets, nominal group technique methodology was employed, involving 15 internationally recognized abdominal wall surgeons and two patient representatives. Initially a maximum data set was created from previous systematic and panellist reviews. Thereafter, three stages of voting took place: stage 1, selection of the number of variables for data set inclusion; stage 2, selection of variables to be included; and stage 3, selection of variable definitions and detection methods. A steering committee interpreted and analysed the data. RESULTS: The maximum data set contained 245 variables. The three stages of voting commenced in October 2019 and had been completed by July 2020. The final primary ventral hernia data set included 32 variables, the incisional ventral hernia data set included 40 variables, the patient-reported outcome measures tool contained 25 questions, and 40 methodological criteria were chosen. The best known variable definitions were selected for accurate variable description. CT was selected as the optimal preoperative descriptor of hernia morphology. Standardized follow-up at 30 days, 1 year, and 5 years was selected. CONCLUSION: These minimum data sets, patient-reported outcome measures, and methodological criteria have allowed creation of a manual for investigators aiming to undertake primary ventral hernia or incisional ventral hernia interventional trials. Adopting these data sets will improve trial methods and comparisons