We characterize magnetically driven accretion at radii between 1 au and 100 au in protoplanetary discs, using a series of local non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The simulations assume a Minimum Mass Solar Nebula (MMSN) disc that is threaded by a net vertical magnetic field of specified strength. Confirming previous results, we find that the Hall effect has only a modest impact on accretion at 30 au, and essentially none at 100 au. At 1-10 au the Hall effect introduces a pronounced bi-modality in the accretion process, with vertical magnetic fields aligned to the disc rotation supporting a strong laminar Maxwell stress that is absent if the field is anti-aligned. In the anti-aligned case, we instead find evidence for bursts of turbulent stress at 5-10 au, which we tentatively identify with the non-axisymmetric Hall-shear instability. The presence or absence of these bursts depends upon the details of the adopted chemical model, which suggests that appreciable regions of actual protoplanetary discs might lie close to the borderline between laminar and turbulent behaviour. Given the number of important control parameters that have already been identified in MHD models, quantitative predictions for disc structure in terms of only radius and accretion rate appear to be difficult. Instead, we identify robust qualitative tests of magnetically driven accretion. These include the presence of turbulence in the outer disc, independent of the orientation of the vertical magnetic fields, and a Hall-mediated bi-modality in turbulent properties extending from the region of thermal ionization to 10 au.


This study leveraged the complementary nature of confirmatory factor (CFA), item response theory (IRT), and latent class (LCA) analyses to strengthen the rigor and sophistication of evaluation of two new measures of the Air Force Academy's "leader of character" definition—the Character Mosaic Virtues (CMV) and the Leadership Mosaic Inventory (LMI). Special CFA methods involving robust weighted least squares estimation were implemented to analyze the rated responses through linear structural equation modeling. Most informative at the subscale level, the CFA techniques provided evidence of factorial validity and other desirable psychometric properties in support of previous exploratory results for a nine-factor CMV and a unidimensional LMI. As an alternative to CFA, IRT's nonlinear approach and capability of estimating the probability of a response based on the amount of a latent trait was applied to the CMV and LMI data. Most informative at the item level, individual item difficulty parameters were estimated as the amount of the latent trait required for a cadet to give a particular response to an item and mapped against person ability estimates. The IRT analyses were extended to explore the underlying dimensions of the CMV and LMI through multidimensional IRT (MIRT)—results supporting the theoretical dimensional structure of the CMV were substantiated while new evidence of a multidimensional LMI structure was concluded. LCA techniques permitted the inference of classifying mixtures of unobserved cadet iii subpopulations based on their responses to the CMV and LMI. The analyses uncovered the meaning and number of underlying subpopulations not evident through the other two traditional factor structure analysis techniques. The creation of the study's latent class models complemented the more traditional dimensional approaches of structure assessment with an understanding of the unobserved cadet subpopulations which could lead to future targeted cadet developmental opportunities being applied at organizational levels or groups deficient in certain latent traits. By exposing more researchers, decisionmakers, and other stakeholders to these three advanced psychometric evaluation methods, this study benefited the fields of moral development and leadership development, especially at the nation's service academies.


The direct conversion of nuclear energy becomes possible in hetero-nanostructures. To convert the kinetic energy of the fission product into electricity it has to be created a nanostructure formed from a repetitive conductorinsulator structure generically called "CIci".Its operation is based on the difference of electron shower intensity between the two conducting materials which makes that the electrons generated in the first conductor to pass through insulator and absorb in the second conductor, while this one producing a very small shower to pass in the next conductor so the conductors are polarizing. The conversion efficiency of such structures may be higher than 80%, and can be improved by quantum effects. To deliver the harvested energy outside the reactor zone a cascade of DC/AC and AC/AC micro converters have to be added at short distances inside. Because the fission energy transforms into electricity there is less energy left for heating the structure so the reactor will run cold. If superconductor structures is used the DC/AC converter may be achieved by using a SQUID Josephson junction. The direct nuclear energy conversion removes the actual thermo-mechanic devices with associated heat exchangers with higher efficiency, transforming the nuclear reactor into a solid-state electricity generator.


abstract A most popular novel among feminist critics in the last forty years, Kate Chopin's "The Awakening", though obviously about the mistreatment of women by the patriarchy, has more often invited a psychoanlytic approach. Edna Pontellier's motherlessness has been briefly touched on by several critics, but has not received a full-scale treatment. Julia Kristeva, a pre-oedipal theorist, offers in "Black Sun" and "Tales of Love" concepts for an all-inclusive examination of themes, characters, Edna's death, and a Semiotic structure and style. Chopin's The Awakening: A Semiotic Novel Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1900) has perhaps enjoyed the most critical attention from American literature scholars of realist novels. Though almost completely forgotten since its publication, it was brought back to life, ironically, by a male Scandinavian critic, Per Seyersted, who published Chopin's complete works in 1969, earlier than the feminist recovery movement. The reprinting of the novel in paperback form began in 1972. Shortly, an outpouring of feminist criticism followed, which continued unabated into the end of the 20th century. Because it is a novel about a woman attempting to find and express herself in a patriarchal culture, early in the critical renaissance commentators were naturally drawn to a political reading: Edna Pontellier is forced to the extreme of committing suicide to escape the bonds of patriarchy and motherhood. As the renaissance continued, critics approached the novel in a variety of ways turning more and more to an examination of Edna's psyche, many of them producing polar interpretations: is Edna heroic or is she a victim of a deteriorating emotional condition? What is it about The Awakening that has provoked this volume and variety of critical commentary? I want to suggest that it is an elliptical novel: Chopin leaves much unexplained, and the text is filled with gaps and implied questions. Rather than a well-made novel like those by Jane Austen and other novelists well-known to Chopin, The Awakening resembles the definitive modernist poem, "The Wasteland". Of course, the prevailing question is whether Edna goes to Grand Isle with the determination to commit suicide or whether she simply swims to her physical limit and drowns because the Gulf's arms are embracing and magnetic? Really, one can make a long list of gaps: no information about Edna's years of marriage before Robert; a nameless mother; her unexplained affair with Arobin, even though she knows Robert is returning to New Orleans; recurring motifs of the inscrutable pair of lovers and the woman in black; Mlle. Reisz's motivation to sustain and feed Edna's romantic longings with passionate music like that of Chopin and Wagner's love-death theme in Tristan and Isolde's duet; Edna's father, who drove his wife to an early grave, but who is also a patriarch in the Presbyterian church; the issue of whether Dr. Mandelet is truly sympathetic with Edna or a chauvinist who makes remarks to Leonce that women must be indulged because all of them have whims and moods that will pass. Of course, Chopin is notably ironic and intentionally ambiguous in such stories as "The Story of an Hour," "A Respectable Woman," and "The Storm." Also, she may write elliptically because she had been a successful short story writer and was not interested in writing a long novel like James's The Portrait of a Lady. Although The Awakening is plotted as a novel of romantic love, Edna finally realizes that her feelings for Robert will fade away just as those infatuations did in her girlhood. So we must ask Freud's question: what does Edna want? To attempt an answer to this many critics have recognized for some time that a psychoanalytic explanation must be constructed. As early as 1973, Cynthia Griffin Woolf chose a Freudian approach in "Thanatos and Eros: Kate Chopin's The Awakening." Subsequently, a number of critics began to suggest that Edna's motherlessness is a key to her life-long emotional distress. …


We model the dynamics of asset prices and associated derivatives by consideration of the dynamics of the conditional probability density process for the value of an asset at some specified time in the future. In the case where the price process is driven by Brownian motion, an associated "master equation" for the dynamics of the conditional probability density is derived and expressed in integral form. By a "model" for the conditional density process we mean a solution to the master equation along with the specification of (a) the initial density, and (b) the volatility structure of the density. The volatility structure is assumed at any time and for each value of the argument of the density to be a functional of the history of the density up to that time. In practice one specifies the functional modulo sufficient parametric freedom to allow for the input of additional option data apart from that implicit in the initial density. The scheme is sufficiently flexible to allow for the input of various types of data depending on the nature of the options market and the class of valuation problem being undertaken. Various examples are studied in detail, with exact solutions provided in some cases.


Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mediates cancer cell invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance, but its impact on immune surveillance has not been explored. In this study, we investigated the functional consequences of this mode of epithelial cell plasticity on targeted cell lysis by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Acquisition of the EMT phenotype in various derivatives of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells was associated with dramatic morphologic changes and actin cytoskeleton remodeling, with CD24(-)/CD44(+)/ALDH(+) stem cell populations present exhibiting a higher degree of EMT relative to parental cells. Strikingly, acquisition of this phenotype also associated with an inhibition of CTL-mediated tumor cell lysis. Resistant cells exhibited attenuation in the formation of an immunologic synapse with CTLs along with the induction of autophagy in the target cells. This response was critical for susceptibility to CTL-mediated lysis because siRNA-mediated silencing of beclin1 to inhibit autophagy in target cells restored their susceptibility to CTL-induced lysis. Our results argue that in addition to promoting invasion and metastasis EMT also profoundly alters the susceptibility of cancer cells to T-cell-mediated immune surveillance. Furthermore, they reveal EMT and autophagy as conceptual realms for immunotherapeutic strategies to block immune escape.


Abstract: Authentication of a person is the major concern in this era for security purposes. In biometric systems Signature is one of the behavioural features used for the authentication purpose. In this paper we work on the offline signature collected through different persons. Morphological operations are applied on these signature images with Hough transform to determine regular shape which assists in authentication process. The values extracted from this Hough space is used in the feed forward neural network which is trained using back-propagation algorithm. After the different training stages efficiency found above more than 95%. Application of this system will be in the security concerned fields, in the defence security, biometric authentication, as biometric computer protection or as method of the analysis of person's behaviour changes.


Ionic self-assembled multilayer (ISAM) thin film nanostructures, including highly porous and conductive gold nanoparticles (GNP), and highly porous and thermally stable silica nanoparticles (SNP), were fabricated via the layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. Their application in ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) electromechanical bending actuators and microfabricated gas chromatography (μGC) devices were investigated and significant performance improvements of these devices were achieved. IPMC bending actuators, consisting of an ionic electroactive polymer (iEAP) membrane as backbone, ionic liquids (IL) as electrolyte, and ISAM GNP thin film as porous electrode, were fabricated and investigated. The influences of humidity, conductive network composite (CNC), and IL uptake on the bending performance were examined and discussed. An equivalent circuit model to simulate both the electrical and mechanical responses was also proposed and experimentally verified. Moreover, IPMC actuators made from other newly synthesized iEAP membranes were fabricated and tested. Some of them showed promising performance that was comparable or even better as compared to the ones made from Nafion. LbL fabricated ISAM SNPs thin film coatings were also applied in the μGC devices including micro fabricated thermal preconcentrators (μTPC) and separation columns (μSC) as adsorbent and stationary phase materials, respectively. New fabrication approaches were developed to selectively coat uniform conformal ISAM SNP coatings in these devices with different 3D microstructures. Thus, functionalized μTPCs and μSCs showed good performance, which can be further improved by using the ISAM SNPs coating as a nanotemplate for modifying additional polymer adsorbents or as the anchor sites for incorporating functional molecules for targeting detection.


Reflection surveys from northeastern New York and central Vermont, the first elements of a COCORP seismic traverse of Grenville and Appalachian terranes in the northeastern United States, indicate that an unusual zone of layered reflections characterizes the lower crust beneath the eastern Adirondacks and that Grenville-age "basement" of the Green Mountains may actually be allochthonous, perhaps thrust over Paleozoic shelf rocks. The top of the Adirondack deep layered sequence is found at about 20 km beneath the Marcy meta-anorthosite massif. It appears to dip about 10° northwestward and wedge out against more horizontal reflections at about 28 km. This intracrustal sequence may correspond with a previously inferred increase in electrical conductivity. Possible interpretations range from its being a layered igneous complex to its representing a tectonically buried metasedimentary assemblage. Although graphitic schists and iron or sulfide segregations in such an assemblage might contribute to its electrical characteristics, the problematical issue of water in the lower crust—if and how it got there and remained—is again raised, if not resolved. Other intrabasement features include major east- and west-dipping reflections, possibly corresponding to faults; arched reflections that may represent folds; a well-defined lens-shaped zone virtually devoid of reflections; and possible Moho reflections. Unequivocal sub-Moho reflections are absent. Superimposed at shallower levels on the eastern part of the traverse are Appalachian structures. Reflections down to about 4.5 km beneath the Taconic Mountains are interpreted to represent Paleozoic shelf sediments of the Middlebury synclinorium underlying the Taconic allochthons. Possibly correlative, although less well defined, reflections appear to extend in disrupted fashion beneath the Precambrian rocks of the Green Mountains, suggesting a major basement overthrust. The inferred decollement for this overthrust steepens rapidly beneath the east flank of the Green Mountains. East-dipping reflections at the east side of the Green Mountains may represent another major thrust zone involving basement and overlying metasedimentary slices. The basement overthrusting suggested by this study is similar in certain respects to the style, if not the extent, of that demonstrated by previous COCORP surveys in the southern Appalachians.


The extraction of the andaliman fruit was conducted by using ethanol, and hexane. The hexane residue was reextracted by ethanol. The protection factor of the extracts is 3.823, 1.486, and 3.84 respectively. While the protection factor of BHT is 2.828. The research shows that andaliman fruit extract has the highest antioxidative activity on aqueous system. While in emulsion and oily system, andaliman extract still have a moderate activity. The antioxidative activity is relatively stabile during heating. Heating up to 175  C in aqueous system for 2 hours is merely reduce the activity to 17%. The protection effect increase during the increasing of pH (examined at pH 3,4,5,6, and 7), except at pH 4.


Recently, researchers have measured hand movements en route to choices on a screen to understand the dynamics of a broad range of psychological processes. We review this growing body of research and explain how manual action exposes the real-time unfolding of underlying cognitive processing. We describe how simple hand motions may be used to continuously index participants' tentative commitments to different choice alternatives during the evolution of a behavioral response. As such, hand-tracking can provide unusually high-fidelity, real-time motor traces of the mind. These motor traces cast novel theoretical and empirical light onto a wide range of phenomena and serve as a potential bridge between far-reaching areas of psychological science – from language, to high-level cognition and learning, to social cognitive processes.


Studies over the last two decades make clear that firms' attempts to remain competitive in a global economy have taken them in many different directions. The proliferation of strategies has thrown into relief patterns by which differences in the wage structure of establishments appear to be associated with the ways they are organizing work and implementing new technologies. This study investigates these issues using latent variable techniques and a dataset produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics Survey. The analyses define a latent variable underlying various measures of the wage structure of the establishment that include 1) a measure designed to gauge establishments' usage of particular types of wage policies aimed at increasing qualitative flexibility, 2) those occupational wages that are most highly correlated with the wage structure of the establishment, and 3) the employment share of those occupations that have been identified in earlier analyses as "discriminators' between high and low wage establishments. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics Survey is especially well suited to these analyses due to its collection of wage data for all workers in the establishment, as is required to produce measures of the establishment wage structure, and its large size and high degree of industrial and occupational detail, such that relationships between the wages of detailed occupations and other variables can be examined even within detailed industries. The findings suggest that, in the Aircraft Parts industry, establishments' employment share of machinists is correlated with a latent construct defined by the inter-correlation of the wages of Inspectors, the wages of Team Assemblers, and a measure of the establishment wage structure that should co-vary with the incidence of worker cross training and/or a pay-for-skills policy in the establishment.


Recent literature on comparative judicial politics reveals a variety of roles that courts adopt in the process of democratization. These include, very rarely, serving as a trigger for democratization and, more commonly, serving as downstream guarantor for departing autocrats or as downstream consolidator of democracy. In light of these roles, this article reviews six relatively recent books: Courts in Latin America, edited by Helmke and Rios-Figueroa (2011); Judges Beyond Politics in Democracy and Dictatorship: Lessons from Chile, by Hilbink (2007); Cultures of Legality: Judicialization and Political Activism in Latin America, edited by Couso, Huneeus, and Sieder (2011); The Legacies of Law: Long-Run Consequences of Legal Development in South Africa, 1652–2000, by Meierhenrich (2008); Judging Russia: Constitutional Court in Russian Politics 1990–2006, by Trochev (2008); and New Courts in Asia, edited by Harding and Nicholson (2010).


In this paper we are going to introduce the evolution of DragonFlyBSD's network stack in the past 10 years: what's the current state of its network stack, the important changes we did to it, why the important changes, and the lessons we learned. Finally, I'd like to list the areas that DragonFlyBSD's network stack can enjoy help hands.


ABSTRACT The arenavirus Lassa virus causes Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever that is endemic in the countries of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea and perhaps elsewhere in West Africa. To determine the degree of genetic diversity among Lassa virus strains, partial nucleoprotein (NP) gene sequences were obtained from 54 strains and analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Lassa viruses comprise four lineages, three of which are found in Nigeria and the fourth in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Overall strain variation in the partial NP gene sequence was found to be as high as 27% at the nucleotide level and 15% at the amino acid level. Genetic distance among Lassa strains was found to correlate with geographic distance rather than time, and no evidence of a "molecular clock" was found. A method for amplifying and cloning full-length arenavirus S RNAs was developed and used to obtain the complete NP and glycoprotein gene (GP1 and GP2) sequences for two representative Nigerian strains of Lassa virus. Comparison of full-length gene sequences for four Lassa virus strains representing the four lineages showed that the NP gene (up to 23.8% nucleotide difference and 12.0% amino acid difference) is more variable than the glycoprotein genes. Although the evolutionary order of descent within Lassa virus strains was not completely resolved, the phylogenetic analyses of full-length NP, GP1, and GP2 gene sequences suggested that Nigerian strains of Lassa virus were ancestral to strains from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Compared to the New World arenaviruses, Lassa and the other Old World arenaviruses have either undergone a shorter period of diverisification or are evolving at a slower rate. This study represents the first large-scale examination of Lassa virus genetic variation.


Al-Jazeera, the independent, all-Arab television news network based in Qatar, emerged as ambassador to the Arab world in the events following September 11, 2001. Arabic for "the island," Al-Jazeera has "scooped" the western media conglomerates many times. With its exclusive access to Osama Bin Laden and members of the Taliban, its reputation was burnished quickly through its exposure on CNN. During the 2003 war in Iraq, Al-Jazeera seemed to be everywhere, reporting dramatic stories and images, even as it strived to maintain its independence as an international free press news network. Al-Jazeera sheds light on the background of the network: how it operates, the programs it broadcasts, its effects on Arab viewers, the reactions of the West and Arab states, the implications for the future of news broadcasting in the Middle East, and its struggle for a free press and public opinion in the Arab world.


SEASONAL ROAD LAYOUT DESIGN IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN USING GIS WITH THE SIDE HILL AND LEAST COST PATH METHODS By Emil Harold Brundage Seasonal road design in mountainous terrain consists of four main phases: route selection, field investigation, surveying, and analysis. The first phase, route selection, consists of two parts: selecting control points at strategic locations, and then determining potential routes between those points. Two geographic information system (GIS) geoprocessing automations were developed to aid a road planner in determining routes between control points. Both automations utilized Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcGIS software package. The first method developed was the least cost path method, which makes use of ArcGIS's cost path tool to find a route between points following a gradual slope. The second automation was the side hill method, which utilized a variety of ArcGIS tools to maintain a uniform grade along the side of a hill between two points. The two methods were compared and contrasted based on control point locations. The least cost path method was determined to be preferable for main thoroughfares along flat valleys and ridge lines, while the side hill method was preferable for secondary roads that could be used to access steeper ground. It was concluded that the two methods can save time and increase accuracy of GIS road features for land managers planning new seasonal roads.


Because of their social dilemma character, global environmental problems are difficult to successfully manage. States have few incentives to contribute to the common good because doing so would imply costs but not guarantee that others will contribute. Without a global government that can maintain order states do not want to act the sucker. But this picture is not always true. Sweden's behaviour in climate politics is a clear anomaly given such expectations. Sweden opted for a more ambitious target than obliged to under the Kyoto Protocol and will most probably over-implement this target. The aim of this study is to explore why Sweden has acted contrary to social dilemma expectations in climate policy. Following a social constructivist approach, Swedish climate policy—nationally as well as in selected sub-national cases—is analysed as regards the 'is–ought–do' of politics. How are global climate change and its international political responses interpreted in Swedish policy? How is Sweden's responsibility constructed? Further, what is perceived as necessary and possible to do in order to contribute to the mitigation of climate change? The theoretical assumption is that this will be constructed against the background of a social structure consisting of socially and historically established discourses, including ideas, norms and practices. This study suggests that one reason why Sweden acts contrary to expectations is because the consensual climate science as advocated by IPCC is reproduced in the Swedish polity. This acknowledgement of the problem makes possible the construction of Sweden's sense of responsibility through a combination of two storylines: an Ecological Justice story-line and an Opportunity story-line. In Swedish climate discourse, being rich implies a moral obligation to show initiative. But Sweden also looks at climate policy through a window of opportunity; being in the frontline of the restructuration of society would be beneficial to Sweden. At the sub-national level, on the other hand, the polities analysed had a less elaborated construction of responsibility, but saw it as something which was more or less beyond questioning. Apart from taking the problem seriously and appointing itself responsibility, Sweden's strategy has been to 'involve the whole society' in the mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Further, there is a strong belief that through planning, introduction of cost-efficient policy measures, and providing incentives to various actors in society, the rational state/society is well capable of accomplishing this mission. Thus, Sweden reproduces the discourse of ecological modernisation, which spells out the Win-Win situation of environmental politics.


Cricoid pressure was popularised by Sellick in 1961 as a simple method to reduce the risk of aspiration during induction of anaesthesia. It has since become the standard of care for most anaesthetists. Although it appears to be a mechanically simple and anatomically correct manoeuver, it is in fact complex and difficult to perform optimally. There is also continued controversy regarding its safety and efficacy. Understanding the role of cricoid pressure in our practice requires knowledge of anatomic relationships, physiology of regurgitation, modes of application, timing, amount of force required to apply it effectively and the impact of cricoid pressure on airway management.


Alpine vegetation occurs over a wide range of ecological conditions. Thus, the breeding systems of alpine plants are likely to be diverse and vary from one geographical area to another. The reproductive characteristics of Nastanthus spathulatus (Calyceraceae) and Rhodophiala rhodolirion (Amaryllidaceae), species with contrasting floral morphology, were studied in the high Andes of Chile, which has a Mediterranean-type climate. Natural and supplemental open pollination, and cross pollination and self-pollination trials were carried out in the field. Flower visitors were quantified by field and video observations. Both species had high outcrossing properties, and Nastanthus was strongly self-incompatible. Rhodophiala could form some seed by self-pollination, but fruit and seed sets were much lower after self-pollination compared with outcrossing. The phenology and flower/inflorescence forms of these species supported the view that alpine flowers are comparatively long lived and that the floral display contributes to a large proportion of the plant biomass. Rhodophiala was well attended by a native bee species (Megachile sauleyi) that was appropriately sized for efficient pollination. Although no flower visitors were observed on Nastanthus and wind pollination was discarded experimentally, a high proportion of the flowers produced seeds under natural pollination. Therefore, the seed set was not severely pollen limited in these species. Including previously published information, breeding systems are now known for 12 species on this Mediterranean alpine site and current knowledge suggests an emphasis on outcrossing breeding systems.


Abstract This article is part of the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) and aims to analyse the success factors of two Spanish secondary school principals working in the line of social justice in challenging contexts. The factors are arranged in traits and beliefs of principals and in the strategies they used to bring successful leadership. The article concludes by showing a model of leadership that emphasizes both personal and professional characteristics of principals and their central role as agents of social change.


Growing evidence suggests that dietary n-3 very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid; EPA and docosahexaenoic acid; DHA) reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LNA) is the natural precursor of EPA and DHA and is an abundant and accessible source of dietary n-3 PUFA that can be further elongated and unsaturated in vivo. The overall aim of the project is to examine the conversion of alpha-LNA to its long chain metabolite, most importantly DHA. This aim was accomplished by a combination of a human dietary intervention study to assess accumulation of EPA and DHA from dietary alpha-LNA, and 13C-tracer studies of alpha-LNA & linoleic acid (LA) conversion to their long-chain metabolites. The dietary intervention trial was a 12-week parallel design in men expressing an atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype, a common source of lipid-mediated coronary heart disease risk. Diets were enriched with 18 g of alpha-LNA as flaxseed oil (n=21), with a high LA oil (n=17), or with fish-oil (6g/d n=19) as a positive control group. Thus the intention was to provide an increased intake of alpha-LNA with a low ratio of n-6 to n-3 PUFA (1:1 or less), minimizing competition between alpha-LNA and the abundant LA and, in theory, increasing the conversion of alpha-LNA to LC n-3 PUFA. The results from the dietary intervention indicate that, dietary alpha-LNA as flaxseed oil can increase n-3 membrane fatty acid contents, through a 3-fold increase in alpha-LNA (p <0.001)) and 2.5 fold increase in EPA (p<0.001) at week-12, decreasing in n-6:n-3 ratio (p =0.001), but not changing DHA level. In contrast the fish oil diet increased both EPA and DHA. Dietary alpha-LNA had 7% of the efficacy of preformed EPA from fish oil to increase membrane EPA levels. Subjects on the 13C tracer study were a sub-group of the intervention study, studied after 12-weeks on the high alpha-LNA (n=6) or high n-6 (n=5) diets. Subjects were given an oral mixture of 400 mg each of uniformly 13C labelled alpha-LNA and LA in a milk shake after an overnight fast. 13C enrichment was measured in fatty acids isolated from plasma at 1,2,3,7,10 and 14 days after the dose. Of the dose appearing in the plasma 35-45% was converted to EPA with no dietary effects. Some conversion to DHA did occur especially in the high n-6 group (3.9% of dose) compared with the flaxseed-oil group (mean value 0.8% of the dose; p < 0.05). In the single subject studied on the fish-oil diet there was a much lower conversion rate compared to the flaxseed-oil diet. The variability between subjects for percent conversion to DHA ranged from zero to 6.2% of the dose appearing in plasma. Taken together these results clearly establish the effectiveness of dietary alpha-LNA as a method of increasing the concentration of EPA, but not DHA, in membrane phospholipids, with up to 7% of the efficacy of preformed EPA. The increase in the EPA: AA ratio (eicosapentanoic: arachidonic acid) in membrane phospholipids with dietary alpha-LNA is likely to reduce the overall inflammatory environment with beneficial effects for long-term health.


Recent studies exploring sibling rivalry in the allocation of household resources in the U.S. produce conflicting results. We contribute to this discussion by addressing the role of sibling rivalry in educational attainment in Germany. Using the German Socioeconomic Panel (GSOEP) we are able to distinguish how the effects of sibling rivalry vary by cultural affiliation, i.e., among families of West German, East German and foreign origin. We also point out and correct for a reference group problem in earlier papers analyzing sibling rivalry.


We study the problem of multiclass classification with an extremely large number of classes (k), with the goal of obtaining train and test time complexity logarithmic in the number of classes. We develop top-down tree construction approaches for constructing logarithmic depth trees. On the theoretical front, we formulate a new objective function, which is optimized at each node of the tree and creates dynamic partitions of the data which are both pure (in terms of class labels) and balanced. We demonstrate that under favorable conditions, we can construct logarithmic depth trees that have leaves with low label entropy. However, the objective function at the nodes is challenging to optimize computationally. We address the empirical problem with a new online decision tree construction procedure. Experiments demonstrate that this online algorithm quickly achieves improvement in test error compared to more common logarithmic training time approaches, which makes it a plausible method in computationally constrained large-k applications.


This analysis examines the violent predator/innocent victim paradigm employed by many governmental and nongovernmental organizations active in monitoring and combating transnational human trafficking. One common treatment of the issue moralizes victims as innocent women and children who have been deceived and coerced into exploitative sex work; another constructs human trafficking as modern day slavery which takes a variety of forms and requires foreign intervention to organize rescues and redemption. Both views see human trafficking, most especially sex trafficking, as an exceptional crime with distinct predators and victims and cultivate moral outrage as a strategic tool to combat coerced labor. This essay draws on my ethnographic interviews in Colombia from 2007-2011 and analyzes trial evidence from prosecutions of human traffickers in Colombian courts to interrogate the polarized predator/victim discourse. In practice, many Colombian women reject the victim label for their overseas work. Court cases document alternative renderings of women's subjectivity and portray organized crime as a transnational mix of licit and illicit businesses with wider social norms and divisions of labor. In practice, Colombian legal cases reveal women accepting a variety of jobs in trafficking organizations after they have paid off their initial debts to the organization. What is the significance of these clashing understandings? How do these organizations operate in plain sight as businesses and employers while the scope of their social relations and work situations are reduced in the realm of antitrafficking activism to the singular predator/victim paradigm?


The Amazon forest has been converted to a matrix of pristine and modified habitats. Landscape-scale biodiversity conservation requires an understanding of species' distributions over this matrix to guarantee both effective protection and use for present and future generations. In this study, we evaluated how much of the existing and future planned protected areas (PAs) would be contributing to the conservation of Brazilian Amazon mammals (N = 399), including threatened species ( N = 51). Currently, almost 37% of Brazilian Amazon is protected and that may increase to 46% if planned PAs are implemented. In the current PA system, 22% are indigenous land and 11% are sustainable use units, e.g., production forests. Only one-fifth of the whole range of mammal species occurring in Brazilian Amazon is actually protected by Brazilian PAs. However, considering only the part of the ranges within the Brazilian Amazon, and therefore under the scope of Brazilian actions, Brazilian PAs assume an important role in the protection of 39% of mammal distribution ranges, particularly the threatened species (39%). These results suggest that an integrated network of protected areas among Amazon countries would be necessary to increase their efficiency in mammal conservation. The need for strengthening of the forest sector and good management practices in Brazil appears critical for the maintenance of large extents of forest and species conservation. Under such a scenario, the contribution of developed nations and international agencies must assume an important role for the maintenance and enlargement of the protected area network in Amazon region.


Increased use and production of carbon nanomaterials (e.g., fullerene C60) and ionic liquids (ILs) may result in their concomitant releases into the environment. Inevitably there will be interactions between carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) and ILs. However, experimental data on the interaction of CNPs with ILs are not readily available, and the mechanism behind the interactions is still elusive. To contribute to an understanding of the molecular interactions established between CNPs and ILs, theoretical investigations at multiple levels were performed to determine the interactions of C60 with 6 different imidazolium‐based ILs. The results indicate that C60 mainly interacts with the IL molecules through the van der Waals, π–cation, and hydrophobic interactions. Mulliken population analysis suggests that charge transfer occurs from the IL to C60 during the C60–IL interaction. The self‐diffusion coefficient (D) of C60 in [C60 + IL] systems reaches the maximum in the case of moderate C60–IL interaction (interaction energy, EINT), implying that in this case a good dispersion of an agglomerate species of C60 is obtained. The D value of C60 in [C60 + IL + water] systems increases with an increase of the EINT, implying that the presence of ILs can play an important role in the aqueous dispersion of the C60 agglomerate. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:1802–1808. © 2014 SETAC


Abstract. The status of the extended solar activity minimum, since the second half of 2007, has been briefly instructed to the solar-terrestrial community. Cycle 24 has the most spotless days since cycle 16, and probably even since the modern cycles, latitudes of high-latitude (>35°) sunspots belonging to a new cycle around the minimum time of the cycle are statistically the lowest at present, compared with those of cycle 12 onwards, and there is only one or no sunspots in a month appearing at high latitudes (>20°) for 58 months (from November 2003 to September 2008), which is observed for the first time since cycle 12 onwards. The solar wind velocity and pressure, 10.7 cm solar radio flux, the polar solar magnetic field, solar total irradiance, and so on reach their minima during the 23–24 cycle minimum time. In order to explain the present extreme low activity, we introduced here one possible mechanism using helio-seismology observations. Viewing, from the long-term running of the time scales of both the Gleissberg period and millenniums, the extended solar activity minimum becomes logical. According to the present observations, the cycle 24 should start in November 2008. Solar activity is predicted at being about 30% lower in cycle 24 than in cycle 23, synthesizing the typical predictions of solar activity, including those given by NASA and NOAA. The 24th solar cycle is sluggishly coming and it should be an opportune moment for studying solar physics and solar-terrestrial physics.


In the national and supranational legal area, the need to address the ne bis in idem principle is justified by the growing interest aroused by the most recent pronouncements of the European Courts. The principle prohibits anyone who has already been acquitted or convicted in a previous trial from being tried again. Moreover, it has become a fundamental right enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. The interest in the issue also derives from the need to understand whether the approach of the Italian legal system – or any other similar national order – can be considered compliant with European tax law and case law, based on the definitions of criminal and tax offences. Thus, talking about a European legal space means rethinking the idea of punitive power in a dimension that tends to be 'solidarity-based'. The State can consider itself impervious to repressive demands from outside but is instead called to cooperate actively to safeguard its own guarantees. The traditional self-referential conception of criminal repression effectively summarised in the expression 'punitive sovereignty' gives way to an idea of jurisdiction that draws directly from the principle of mutual recognition. In this scenario, the profile of the protection of the individual from the risk of a duplication of the exercise of punitive power for the same fact in different states assumes the role of the first magnitude. Hence, there is a need to act on two levels at the same time: to seek solutions aimed at resolving possible conflicts of jurisdiction (prohibition of competing prosecutions for the same fact), and to attribute, within each Member State, preclusive effects to the previously judged foreigner (ne bis in idem).


The generation of household waste is increasing at least as fast as consumption. More and more products are produced, bought, consumed and discarded. The question is where do all these products end up? The aim of the study was to evaluate if, and how, existing statistics and data could be used to describe the waste flow composition on a product level and how (necessary) additional information could be collected. The study focuses on utility products which are discarded in a similar shape as purchased or as part of thereof. Typical examples are electrical and electronic equipment, furniture etc. The report gives a review of existing Nordic information, including statistics and pick analyses, together with results of consultations with experts. The main conclusions are that there is a need for better methods of waste analysis and more knowledge about waste flows. The report gives also some recommendations to policymakers.


Organic removal contaminants reclamation has increased over the past years as it has many advantages over other treatments. Product water from water treatment plants can be chemically complex resulting in physical and biological changes during transportation in the distribution systems. The general aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of biofilters for reducing the concentration of organic matter in order to produce biologically stable water, avoiding biofouling formation downstream of the process units. Enhanced coagulation and media filters of expanded clay, sand, and biological activated carbon (BAC) have been assessed. PH and coagulant dose have been optimized to achieve maximum turbidity and organic removal. Filtration stages along the operation have been monitored, measuring parameters such DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon), UVabs (ultraviolet absorbance), BDOC (Biodegradable Organic Carbon) and AOC (Assimilable Organic Carbon). Once the biological stage was achieved and the organic removal was constant and steady along the process units, the BDOC analysis showed evidence of the outcomes of each filtration system, with BAC filters in conjunction with enhanced coagulation giving outstanding performance.


Aim:  The introduction of the Healthy Food and Drink Policy in Western Australian government schools caused controversy. Of particular concern were anticipated financial difficulties associated with replacing high-margin processed foods with healthier foods that may be more labour intensive and expensive. The present study investigated the outcomes for school canteens to assess whether these concerns were realised.

Methods:  A multi-method approach was used to obtain data from school principals. Ten principals participated in individual interviews and 310 (44% response rate) responded to an online survey.

Results:  A majority of the study participants reported a favourable attitude to the Policy, both prior to and after its introduction. Most participants perceived improvements in the healthiness and quality of canteen menu items as a result of the Policy. There was a significant increase in the number of school canteens reporting break-even (19% to 28%), a non-significant decrease in the number being in profit (57% to 48%), and a non-significant increase in the number of canteens reporting a loss (10% to 16%). These results appear to be largely the result of higher-than-CPI (consumer price index) increases in food prices and a reluctance to pass these increases on to canteen users.

Conclusions:  The results are encouraging in the light of the new National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines. Efforts to improve children's food environments may attract criticism from a vocal minority, but are likely to receive support from key stakeholders.


In this paper we present a system for offline recognition cursive Arabic handwritten text which is analytical without explicit segmentation based on Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). Extraction features preceded by baseline estimation are statistical and geometric to integrate both the peculiarities of the text and the pixel distribution characteristics in the word image. These features are modelled using hidden Markov models. The HMM-based classifiercontains a training module and a recognition module. The training module estimates the parameters of each of the character HMMs uses the Baum-Welchalgorithm. In the recognition phase, feature vectors extracted from an image are passed to a network of word lexicon entries formed of character models. The character sequence providing the maximumlikelihood identifies the recognized entry. If required, the recognition can generate N best output hypotheses rather than just the single best one. To determine the best output hypotheses, the Viterbi algorithm is used.The experiments on images of the benchmark IFN/ENIT database show that the proposed system improves recognition.


When applying reinforcement learning in domains with very large or continuous state spaces, the experience obtained by the learning agent in the interaction with the environment must be generalized. The generalization methods are usually based on the approximation of the value functions used to compute the action policy and tackled in two different ways. On the one hand by using an approximation of the value functions based on a supervized learning method. On the other hand, by discretizing the environment to use a tabular representation of the value functions. In this work, we propose an algorithm that uses both approaches to use the benefits of both mechanisms, allowing a higher performance. The approach is based on two learning phases. In the first one, a learner is used as a supervized function approximator, but using a machine learning technique which also outputs a state space discretization of the environment, such as nearest prototype classifiers or decision trees do. In the second learning phase, the space discretization computed in the first phase is used to obtain a tabular representation of the value function computed in the previous phase, allowing a tuning of such value function approximation. Experiments in different domains show that executing both learning phases improves the results obtained executing only the first one. The results take into account the resources used and the performance of the learned behavior. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Particle concentration, charge, solution chemistry (i.e. ionic strength), and the nature of organic matter (OM) are the major factors controlling particle flocculation in aqueous environments. In the present study, the nature of clay fabric associated with clay—OM interaction at a range of ionic strengths was the focus. In the flocculation experiments, the aqueous suspension of montmorillonite and chitin was mixed with NaCl/MgSO4 electrolyte solution. Advanced sample-preparation techniques and visualization methods using transmission electron microscopy were used to observe directly the micro- and nano-scale clay—OM fabric of the resulting flocs. Such direct observation elucidated the role of OM in clay flocculation; few attempts have been made in the past due to the technical difficulties in preserving the original structure. A comparison of clay fabric at two different ionic strengths of 0 and 0.14Mrevealed that the individual hexagonal clay particles settled slowly with little intra-aggregate void space (void ratio: 0.07) at 0 M while rapid flocculation and settling of clay particles at 0.14 M, with or without OM, resulted in a more open fabric with greater void space (void ratio: 0.33). The silver-staining technique demonstrated effectively the location of electron-transparent chitin in montmorillonite aggregates. Chitin appeared to link the face-to-face (FF) contacts of clay domains by bridging between negatively charged face surfaces. However, the resultant void ratio and the average hydrodynamic diameter (dH) values were lower than in the OM-free system after flocculation. The results indicated that the interplay between ionic strength and OM content affected the floc architecture and void ratio.


ABSTRACT A growing literature addresses the experiences of international students in higher education. However, limited attention has been paid to how satisfied international students are with their educational experience (gown) and their non-educational experiences related to, e.g. culture, transportation, administrative matters and housing (town). This paper presents findings from a study on 392 international students that have spent a period in one of the higher education institutions located in the city of Ghent, Belgium. We explore which socio-demographic variables and students' motivations predict their overall satisfaction and satisfaction regarding specific dimensions: housing, culture/lifestyle, education and administration. The findings illustrate that financial security and academic motivation positively predict general satisfaction as well as all or most of the four specific dimensions of satisfaction. Socio-demographic variables hardly play a role, apart from religion and the difference between the home and host country's level of educational development.


From the applications' point of view, the advantage of low density given by MgB2 material must be taken into consideration, and the generation of strong magnetic flux densities using MgB2 should be investigated. In this paper, we have studied the magnetic properties of samples processed by a fast spark plasma sintering machine that is able to produce dense and high-quality MgB2 samples. Experiments were carried out both on small pieces of the samples and on large-sized samples performing trapped field measurements in a field-cooling process. For temperatures between 10 and 30 K, the results show a strong dependence of the magnetic behavior of the large-sized samples to the applied magnetic field sweep rate, whereas nothing particular appeared on the small samples. As the magnetic flux density produced by MgB2 bulks is directly linked to the potential of the applications, we report on the field produced at the surface of one single MgB2 sample of 30-mm diameter and the field produced inside a stack of two MgB2 samples of 20-mm diameter. A generation of magnetic flux density (magnetic polarization μ0M) up to 4.80 T at 10 K and 3.92 T at 20 K inside the stack of the two MgB2 samples was observed under a negative supporting field of -1.47 and -1.95 T, respectively. According to these values to their very low density and to their ease of manufacturing, MgB2 bulks are promising materials for the applications of superconductors.


Background: Laparoscopic left pancreatectomy (LLP) is associated with favorable outcomes compared with open left pancreatectomy (OLP). However, it is unclear if the risk factors associated with operative morbidity differ between these two techniques. Guidelines for determining which patients should undergo OLP versus LLP do not exist. Methods: A multi-institutional analysis of OLP and LLP performed in 9 academic medical centers was undertaken. LLP cases were defined in an intent-to-treat manner. Perioperative variables were analyzed to identify factors associated with complications and pancreatic fistulae after OLP and LLP. In addition, complication and fistula rates for patients undergoing OLP and LLP were compared in matched cohorts to determine if one approach resulted in superior outcomes over the other. Results: Six hundred and ninety-three left pancreatectomy cases (439 OLP, 254 LLP) were analyzed. OLP and LLP cases were similar with respect to patient age and American Society of Anesthesiologists score. Body mass index (BMI) was higher in patients undergoing LLP. OLP was more often performed for adenocarcinoma and larger tumors, resulted in longer resected specimen lengths, and more commonly involved concomitant splenectomy. Estimated blood loss was higher and operative times were longer during OLP. On multivariate analysis, variables associated with major complications and clinically significant fistulae differed between OLP and LLP. Patients with body mass index ⩽27, without adenocarcinoma, and with pancreatic specimen length ⩽8.5 cm had significantly higher rates of significant fistulae after OLP than after LLP; in contrast, no preoperatively evaluable variables were associated with a higher likelihood of significant fistula after LLP versus OLP. Conclusions: Risk factors for complications and pancreatic fistulae after left pancreatectomy differ when open versus laparoscopic techniques are employed. Preoperative characteristics may identify cohorts of patients who will benefit more from LLP, and no patient cohorts had higher postoperative complication rates after LLP than OLP. These observations suggest that LLP may be the operative procedure of choice for most patients with left-sided pancreatic lesions; a more definitive prospective and randomized comparison may be warranted.


In 2008, Samantha Newbery, then a PhD student, discovered a hitherto confidential document: 'Confidential: UK Eyes Only. Annex A: Intelligence gained from interrogations in Northern Ireland' (DEFE 13/958, The National Archives (TNA)). It details the British Army's notorious interrogations of IRA suspects that led to the eventual banning of the 'five techniques' that violated the UK's international treaty obligation prohibiting the use of torture and 'inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'. Having decided that the document – Intelligence gained from should be put in the public domain, she invited me, along with the eminent lawyer, Philippe Sands and Brian Stuart, a former Secretary to the British Joint Intelligence Committee, to contribute commentaries. I concluded that even if the document was accurate in both what it stated and in what it left out, that use of the 'five techniques' (tantamount to torture) was unjustified, since the normalisation and institutionalisation of torture is far worse than failing to obtain the information thus gained. Whether or not this joint paper will make a difference to UK policy concerning the use of torture remains an open question; whether or not it should is not.
This piece is an example of how my book on torture, deliberately written for a public readership, has made it possible for me to make interventions in practical policy, or at least to attempt to, whether in occasional writing for eg The Chartist and the web-based Open Democracy, or directly for activist groups, eg my 'Ethical Opinion' for Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, Report: Holding Health to Ransom: GSS Interrogation and Extortion of Palestinian Patients at Erez Crossing (2008).


Farnesylation is an important post-translational modification catalyzed by farnesyltransferase (FTase). Until recently it was believed that a C-terminal CaaX motif is required for farnesylation, but recent experiments have revealed larger substrate diversity. In this study, we propose a general structural modeling scheme to account for peptide binding specificity and recapitulate the experimentally derived selectivity profile of FTase in vitro. In addition to highly accurate recovery of known FTase targets, we also identify a range of novel potential targets in the human genome, including a new substrate class with an acidic C-terminal residue (CxxD/E). In vitro experiments verified farnesylation of 26/29 tested peptides, including both novel human targets, as well as peptides predicted to tightly bind FTase. This study extends the putative range of biological farnesylation substrates. Moreover, it suggests that the ability of a peptide to bind FTase is a main determinant for the farnesylation reaction. Finally, simple adaptation of our approach can contribute to more accurate and complete elucidation of peptide-mediated interactions and modifications in the cell.


The unified signal processor (USP) performs the functions of dedicated analog and digital hardware using a timeshared microprocessor which is controlled by a program stored in a read only memory (ROM). The basic advantages are high reliability, low cost and parts count, high flexibility, freedom from drift and adjustments, unlimited precision in signal processing and the USP lends itself ideally to micro-electronic implementation.

It has been incorporated in the AN/ARN-119 TACAN navigation set, resulting in improved performance and a two-fold improvement in parts count and reliability as compared to conventional TACAN signal processors. The integrated system has successfully completed flight, qualification and reliability tests. All functions have been verified and the performance equals or exceeds that of conventional microelectronic TACAN sets.

The USP extracts and displays range and bearing, performs automatic gain control and self test, and switches antennas. It operates off the TACAN video signal and simultaneously, generates serial digital output signals and analog output signals compatible with synchro indicators.

Algorithms for range and bearing acquisition, discrete phase-locked loops, digital filters, automatic gain control, synchro to digital conversion, and data formatting were developed and verified through computer simulations. The microprocessor was designed around the INTEL 8008–1 central processing unit chip. The control program consists of 6000 8-bit instructions, which are stored in 3 read only memories. A common 8-bit tri-state data bus is used to communicate between the central processing unit, the memory and the interfaces.

Interfaces necessary to convert between analog signals and digital signals compatible with the data bus form an integral part of the signal processing functions. Portions of these circuits are based on similar circuits used in conventional TACAN sets. Other circuits such as the digital-to-synchro converter, the synchro-to-digital converter, the range and bearing counters, the ID-tone detector, the pulse pair detector, the north burst detector, the encoder and the data rate limiter are new designs.


IMPORTANCE
Collapse or compromise of the internal nasal valve (INV) results in symptomatic nasal obstruction; thus, various surgical maneuvers are designed to support the INV.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect on nasal airflow after various surgical techniques focused at the level of the INV and lateral nasal sidewall.

DESIGN AND SETTING
A fresh cadaver head was obtained and underwent suture and cartilage graft techniques directed at the level of the INV using an external approach. Preoperative and postoperative digital nasal models were created from the high-resolution, fine-cut, computed tomographic imaging after each intervention. Isolating the interventions to the level of the INV, we used computational fluid dynamic techniques to calculate nasal resistance, nasal airflow, and nasal airflow partitioning for each intervention.

INTERVENTION
Suture and cartilage graft techniques.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Nasal airflow, nasal resistance, and partitioning of airflow.

RESULTS
Using the soft-tissue elevation model as baseline, computational fluid dynamic analysis predicted that most of the suture and cartilage graft techniques directed toward the nasal valve improved nasal airflow and partitioning while reducing nasal resistance. Specifically, medial and modified flare suture techniques alone improved nasal airflow by 16.9% and 15.1%, respectively. The combination of spreader grafts and modified flare suture improved nasal airflow by 13.2%, whereas spreader grafts alone only improved airflow by 5.9%. The largest improvements in bilateral nasal resistance were achieved using the medial and modified flare sutures, outperforming the combination of spreader grafts and modified flare suture.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Techniques directed at supporting the INV have tremendous value in the treatment of nasal obstruction. The use of flare sutures alone can address dynamic valve collapse or upper lateral cartilage incompetence without gross disruption of the nasal architecture. Using computational fluid dynamic techniques, this study suggests that flare sutures alone may improve flow and reduce resistance when placed medially, surpassing spreader grafts alone or in combination with flare sutures. The longevity of these maneuvers can only be assessed in the clinical setting. Studies in additional specimens and clinical correlation in human subjects deserve further attention and investigation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
NA.


Treatment of organics and ammonium from sanitary landfill leachate was investigated using a combination of anaerobic treatment and magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation (MAP) processes. The effect of organic loading rate (OLR) was evaluated for the removal of COD and BOD 5 in an anaerobic treatment by anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The UASB reactor removed organics successfully. OLR has a significant effect on the reactor performance and the maximum COD removal was 90% at an OLR of 9 kg COD/(m 3 d). On average, 86.3% of COD and 95.3% of BOD 5 were removed at a steady state of anaerobic treatment. MAP precipitation was performed in order to decrease the ammonium concentration of anaerobically-treated leachate. Furthermore, the effect of pH and the molar ratio of MAP constituents on the removal of ammonium were evaluated. The maximum ammonium removal was observed as 98% at a pH of 8.5 and a stoichometric ratio of NH 4 /PO 4 /Mg = 1/1/1. The results obtained indicate that a combination of UASB and MAP can be successfully used for the removal of organics and ammonium from sanitary landfill leachate.


The Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) is recognised as the most effective organisation in the Rwandan state. The objective of the paper is to understand the organisational and political factors influencing MINECOFIN's performance since the genocide and link them to the wider conversation on the role of pockets of effectiveness (PoEs) in state-building in Africa. It argues that, because of the Rwandan political settlement and elite vulnerability, MINECOFIN is not a PoE but only a good performer in a generally well functioning state. The Ministry overperforms first because, unsurprisingly, the nature of its tasks is specific, requires little embeddedness and allows a great exposure to donors, making its mandate easier to deliver in comparison to other organisations. MINECOFIN also performs better than other state organisations because it is, more than others, at the frontline of the elite legitimation project since it is the organisation through which resources are channelled, priorities decided, and developmental efforts coordinated. Given the rulers' need for an effective state as a whole, MINECOFIN appears only as the lead climber in a wider dynamics of systematic state building.


Environmental pollution is a big problem faced by everyone all over the world, out of which water pollution is a major one. In solving the problem of water pollution, photocatalysis plays an important role. In the present work, barium chromate powder has been used as a photocatalytst to degrade Eosin Yellow. The rate of decomposition was affected by different parameters such as pH, concentration of dye, amount of photocatalyst and intensity of light. The optimum conditions were obtained as pH = 7.5, [Eosin Yellow] = 1.0 x 10 M, amount of BaCrO4 = 0.06 g, light intensity = 60.0 mWcm. The rate constant obtained was k = 1.53 x 10 sec. The reaction proceeded through oxidation by hydroxyl radicalas confirmed by radical scavenger 2-propanol.


Price dynamics for North American oriented strand board markets are examined. The role of transactions costs are explored vis-a-vis the law of one price. Nonlinearities induced by unobservable transactions costs are modeled by estimating time-varying smooth transition autoregressions (TV-STARs). Results indicate that nonlinearity and structural change are important features of these markets; price parity relationships implied by economic theory are generally supported by the estimated models. Implications for the efficiency of spatial market linkages and the dynamics associated with price adjustments are also examined. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.


The identifiability analysis is investigated as sampling design method aimed to the leakage detection in looped water distribution networks. The preliminary ranking of the candidate nodes for the pressure sensors positioning is performed by running several hydraulic simulations and calculating sensitivity functions. The reduced subset of nodes and their sensitivities are then used to perform the identifiability analysis by calculating the collinearity index which provides the maximum number of sensors and their location into the network. The index selects the nodes according to their sensitivities to several leakages scenarios, simulated in EPANET by changing the emitter coefficient of the leakages function both with a One-At-Time and Monte Carlo approach. The collinearity index also identifies the subset of the pressure monitoring nodes with the lowest correlation (redundancy) between the measurements. The method is applied to the benchmark network Apulian.


The contrast in the dielectric constant between a landmine and the surrounding soil is one of the most important parameters to be considered when using ground penetrating radar (GPR) for landmine detection. For most geologic materials the dielectric constant lies within a range of 3 to 30, with dry sand at the lower end of this range at about 3 to 5. Nonmetallic antitank landmines have dielectric constants within a range of about 3 to 10 depending on their composition. A model was developed to predict whether or not field conditions are appropriate for use of GPR instruments. The predictions of this model were validated using GPR profiles in field soils with different soil textures at various soil water contents. Model predictions and field measurements provide convincing evidence that increasing the soil water content around a nonmetallic landmine can improve detection in sand and silt soils. However, data for the clay soils suggest that under elevated soil water conditions detection of nonmetallic landmines are not improved; instead radar images in these soils become worse with increasing soil water content. Data suggest that detection of metallic landmines also degrades with increasing soil water content in sandy soils. The field data are in agreement with the model predictions. Our experimental and model results demonstrate the great potential and the pitfalls of landmine sensors based on GPR. Knowledge of soil texture, dry bulk density, and water content are necessary to determine or predict whether soil conditions are suitable or not for GPR mine detection. The model presented here can be useful for making this determination.


OBJECTIVE
To review the concept, components, and characteristics of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment technique.

DATA SOURCES
Medline and non-Medline literature search.

STUDY SELECTION
The following key words were used: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment; all available years of study were reviewed.

DATA EXTRACTION
Studies that assessed the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment technique's benefits were examined.

DATA SYNTHESIS
By using the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment programme, accurate diagnoses can be made, treatable illness can be screened for, therapeutic plans can be formulated, and the optimal placements of patients can be achieved. Assessment should be performed at each level of geriatric care; various well-validated scales are used to measure the activity of daily living of patients. The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment programme can improve functional status; reduce the use of medications, nursing homes, and medical services; and reduce mortality rates. Most studies confirm that a successful programme requires careful patient targeting, implementation of the programme by attending physicians, and patient adherence to the recommendations made.

CONCLUSION
A well-targeted Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment programme and the control of patients' adherence to recommendations are effective in improving the well-being of elderly patients.


Wood is treated with a new composite flame retardant, whose components guanyl urea phosphate (GUP) and boric acid (BA) impart flame retardance. The flame retarding behavior of these samples is measured by cone calorimeter. The thermal behavior of samples has been studied by differential thermogravimetry (DTG) and thermogravimetry (TG) in air. The activation energies for different stages of thermal degradation are obtained following the method of Broido, A. (1969). J. Polym. Sci., Part 2, 7: 1761. It is found that the combustion parameters of wood, including rate of heat release (RHR) and total heat release (THR) are decreased considerably by the treatment, especially for wood treated with the composite flame retardant of wood (FRW) because of a strong synergistic effect of flame retardance between GUP and boric acid. The mechanism of synergism is explained by analyzing the TG data. The GUP can accelerate dehydration and carbonization while BA can relatively increase thermal stabilization of wood. Their synthetical actions result in more char and less flammable volatile products, obtaining good flame retardance.


It is believed that developing the creative thinking ability is the key to maintaining competitiveness in the automation age. Science education plays an important role in preparing the young generation's creativity to face the unpredictable future. Inquiry-based learning, which is a creativity promoting pedagogy, has been presented as the major teaching strategy in China. However, several deficiencies of Chinese science education still limit the utilization of inquirybased learning and students' creativity development. This paper analyzes the combination of creativity development and science education in China through the vision of inquiry-based learning. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of students' creativity ability training and demonstrate the limitations of science education in China. Further, the paper provides several recommendations in nurturing Chinese students' creativity in science learning.


Censorship is the moral or legislative process by which society "agrees" to limit what an individual can do, say, think, or see. Recent attempts to regulate, i.e., censor, what is viewed on the Internet have polarized the general population. Unfortunately, beyond the anecdotal, the characteristics of those who support Internet censorship are unknown. In this study, the support for Internet censorship is empirically analyzed using survey data. Notwithstanding the potential limitations of survey data, the results indicate the characteristics of those who tend to favor and disfavor Internet censorship. Specifically, concerns over pornography and concerns over government regulation on the Internet are the two most polarizing elements of the relative support for censorship, which suggests that the debate over this issue will not be easily resolved.


Inference in hidden Markov model has been challenging in terms of scalability due to dependencies in the observation data. In this paper, we utilize the inherent memory decay in hidden Markov models, such that the forward and backward probabilities can be carried out with subsequences, enabling efficient inference over long sequences of observations. We formulate this forward filtering process in the setting of the random dynamical system and there exist Lyapunov exponents in the i.i.d random matrices production. And the rate of the memory decay is known as $\lambda_2-\lambda_1$, the gap of the top two Lyapunov exponents almost surely. An efficient and accurate algorithm is proposed to numerically estimate the gap after the soft-max parametrization. The length of subsequences $B$ given the controlled error $\epsilon$ is $B=\log(\epsilon)/(\lambda_2-\lambda_1)$. We theoretically prove the validity of the algorithm and demonstrate the effectiveness with numerical examples. The method developed here can be applied to widely used algorithms, such as mini-batch stochastic gradient method. Moreover, the continuity of Lyapunov spectrum ensures the estimated $B$ could be reused for the nearby parameter during the inference.


A series of N-substituted phenothiazine derived chloro compounds (3a-3c) and morpholine based compounds (5a- 5c) were synthesized by base catalyzed reactions. The molecular structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed by using various spectral techniques viz., FT-IR, 1H, 13C NMR and mass spectroscopy. The strong stretching vibrational bands in the region 1696-1670 cm-1in FT-IR spectral analysis confirms the presence of carbonyl moiety in the synthesized compounds. The presence of signals in the downfield region of proton NMR of 5a-5c is due to methylene protons which confirms their formation. The antimicrobial investigations was carried out against two gram positive bacterial species such as Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcusaureus. The antifungal activity was tested against AspergillusflavusandAspergillusniger. The biological results obtained suggests that the microbial growth inhibition was much higher in the chloro based N-phenothiazine derivatives (3a-3c) than its morpholine derivative (5a-5c).


Bibliometry consists on the mathematical and statistical treatment of published scientific information. This methodology, or technique (following some authors), includes the quantification of bibliographic information that can be analyzed. Bibliometric and qualitative data reviews can be combined in order to offer high-quality conclusions. For more than three decades, bibliometric studies have proliferated with different uses, orientations, and applications in Ibero-American psychology. All the classic areas of psychology (basic psychological processes, clinical and health psychology, organizational and work psychology, educational psychology), as well as new areas, such as sports psychology, traffic psychology, consumer psychology, and others have been subject of bibliometric works. Several productions can be recognized where bibliometry is used for historical analysis, review of specialized literature, scientific journals analysis, and the recognition of different areas of research. The goal of this work is to provide a metabibliometric analysis, that is, a bibliometry of bibliometric studies. It is a descriptive study in which different documentary sources are retrieved, classified, and analyzed based on the proper procedure of bibliometric studies. This study examined the scientific and scholarly productions in the field of Ibero-American psychology, using three specific databases: Dialnet (Spain), Redalyc (Mexico), and SciELO (Brazil). The choice of such databases was because they provide the indexation of a large number of psychology journals and also allow free access to their contents, which gives some coverage to the psychological production of the Ibero-American region. The search was guided by the following general descriptors: "Bibliometric" and "Psychology", present in any of the search fields of these databases. These two words are functionally equivalent to detect items in Spanish and Portuguese (because all articles have abstracts in English). Interdisciplinary studies were ruled out, and those clearly outside of psychological science or the profession of psychology. The final refined sample of 81 articles were classified according to the following indicators: a) lines of research; b) more frequent authors; c) countries of the authors; d) range of years of publications; e) language of the publications; f) gender in the writing of the works; g) the journals that published the most bibliometric studies; and h) the most analyzed journals from the bibliometric perspective. The vast majority of articles are from the present century (70), which highlights the recent explosion of work in the field. For reference only, eight articles were published in the 1990s, 34 articles were published in the 2000s, and 36 articles were published in the current half-decade. The language of the articles is distributed as follows: 71 in Spanish (88 %), 5 in English (6 %), and 5 in Portuguese (6 %). The proportion by gender of correspondence authors reflects that 40 % are women (33 articles), and 60 % are men (48 articles), always considering the first signatory in cases of multiple authorship. The countries according to the correspondence author, taking the first author in the cases of multiple authorships, are: Spain (45), Colombia (15), Argentina (6), Brazil (5), Mexico (4), Chile (3), Peru (2) and Costa Rica (1). Results confirm that the bibliometric research design is a consistent methodological approach to evaluate the field of psychology as a discipline and a professional practice in Ibero-America. These results do not reflect the entire set of bibliometric research in Ibero-American psychology. However, they can also be considered as a representative map of bibliometric studies in the region. The most significant criticism that can be indicated for these bibliometric studies is the abusive descriptive perspective that appears in them. It would be desirable for this kind of research to incorporate other analytical perspectives to go beyond the purely descriptive, which could obtain greater interpretative and explanatory potential regarding what was investigated.


Glomus tumors closely resemble the normal glomus body and have a predilection for skin and subcutaneous tissue. Clinically, Glomus tumors are present on the nail bed and are of less than 1 cm. We report a case of a male who presented with a 3 month history of swelling in the left thumb which was mildly tender. The swelling measured 6 x 6.5 cm. On microscopy the tumor showed mild atypia with increased mitotic activity. These features, by current definition, would suggest uncertain malignant potential. Keywords: Glomus tumor; Glomangioma; Merkel cell carcinoma. DOI: 10.3126/jpn.v1i1.4457 Journal of Pathology of Nepal (2011) Vol.1, 66-68


Women in England and Wales with a family history of breast cancer will, for the first time, be offered preventive treatment with tamoxifen or raloxifene, after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued new guidance.1

The new guideline represents a major shift in breast cancer treatment in England and Wales, giving women at high or moderate risk of developing breast cancer an alternative to a double mastectomy.

Tamoxifen and raloxifene are not currently licensed as preventive treatments for breast cancer in the UK, although they are approved for this use in the United States. Several large studies have shown that they reduce a person's risk of developing breast cancer by around a third (30-40%).

Gareth Evans, a consultant in clinical genetics at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, who helped develop the guidelines, said, "This is the first time that doctors in the UK can offer chemoprevention for breast cancer. It means there is more in the armamentarium for women …


Purpose: To investigate if Notch and its ligand Delta, which play important roles in cell fate decisions in various epithelia, are present in the human cornea.
Methods: Cryosections of human corneas, retrieved within 24 hours cadaver time, were immunofluorescently labelled using antibodies directed against Notch 1 and Delta (AutogenBioclear) followed by incubation in appropriate Alexor Fluor (Molecular Probes) secondary antibodies. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting of isolated corneal epithelial cells, keratocytes and endothelial cells were performed to confirm the localisation pattern.
Results: Immunofluorescent localisation of Notch was demonstrated throughout the corneal epithelium in all suprabasal cells i.e. in the borders of the wing and superficial epithelial cells, in central, peripheral and limbal regions. Labelling was not detected in the epithelial basal cell layer in any region. In contrast, delta appeared to be expressed in cell borders throughout all regions, and all cell layers of the corneal epithelium, with an increased intensity underlying peripheral basal cells. Immunolabelling for notch was absent in both corneal keratocytes and the endothelium, however localisation of delta was observed in a small number of keratocytes within the corneal stroma. Immunoblotting confirmed the aforementioned cellular localisation: the 80kDa Delta protein was present in the Triton-soluble corneal epithelial cell fraction.
Conclusions: The presence of Notch and Delta in the corneal epithelium suggests that it plays a pivotal role in corneal homeostasis by regulating cell fate and differentiation.


Cocoa sweatings is a very interesting by-product of cocoa production and it forms the substrate for microbial growth during the fermentation process. Most of the sweatings go to waste during the processing of the cocoa beans and this has led to its utilization as a potential raw material for the development of soft drink to enhance the importance of cocoa as a source of income for farmers. A natural, shelf stable, ready-to-serve fruit drink was prepared using cocoa sweatings, sugar and water. 1000 ppm sulphite was added to the juice, pasteurized at 90EC, then transferred to presterilized bottles, corked and pasteurized again for 30 minutes and assessed organoleptically for flavour, colour and overall acceptability. Titratable acidity, pH and turbidity were measured on each experimental product. Regression analysis was used to fit a linear relation to the data of all dependent sensory and physico-chemical variables evaluated. Correlation was also used to find the effect of sensory and physical variables on acceptability. Increasing sweating proportion increased all the sensory and physico-chemical variables. Sweetness was high at 0.10 level of sugar and reduced as the amount of sugar added decreased. Sweetness highly correlated with acceptability ( r = 0.99). The quality was still good after 3 months with no microbial growth. Sodium metabisulphite added to the processed juice drinks enhanced the thermal inactivation of microorganisms.
(Journal of the Ghana Science Association: 2001 3(3): 57-61)


The goals of this research were to generate a better understanding of worry themes that may be common in late adulthood, to determine the extent to which older adults experience worry and related processes, and to better understand factors associated with worry proneness among seniors. In Study 1, a sample of community dwelling older adults were asked to monitor and to record their worry themes in a seven-day worry diary. Study 2 investigated the hypothesis that older adults would show age-related reductions in worry via both retrospective reports of changes in worrying during adulthood and through cross-sectional age comparisons with a sample of younger adults. This study also sought to determine whether age differences would be evident in processes related to worry including: intolerance of uncertainty, erroneous beliefs in the functional value of worry, a tendency to monitor threat and to interpret ambiguous situations as threatening, and to engage in over-elaborated worry thought sequences. Study 3 investigated the extent to which older adults showing high levels of worry have difficulty adapting their coping efforts when faced with life stressors that are perceived as relatively uncontrollable. The findings showed that health-related worries were the most commonly reported worry themes in late adulthood as evidenced by responses on the worry diary and on a standardized worry checklist. Nonetheless, the worry diary also showed that other commonly reported worries among these older adults were not specifically related to the challenges associated with aging and included concerns about social relationships and everyday activities. Worries about death and loneliness were uncommon. Support was found for the hypothesized age-related reduction in worry frequency in both retrospective reports of the older sample and via cross-sectional age comparisons. Age differences were also observed in worry-related processes including intolerance of uncertainty, erroneous beliefs in the functional value of worrying, and in the tendency to engage in worry thought sequences, each showing reduced frequency among older adults compared with younger adults. Finally, evidence was found that high levels of worry among older adults were associated with difficulty disengaging from problem solving efforts when faced with relatively uncontrollable life stressors. The findings indicate that the developmental course of worry is characterized by both continuities and discontinuities from earlier stages of adult development and suggest a need for more refined research on changes and stability in worry-related processes throughout adulthood.


Temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas have grown in abundance and range since reintroduction in the 1980s. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission uses harvest and other methods to maintain the population at desired levels. However, continued management of temperate-nesting geese requires knowledge of the population's demographics and current range to help establish quantifiable management goals. To assess the need and effect of changing hunting regulations, survival and recovery rates and abundance were estimated for this population. Annual survival rates of temperate-nesting Canada geese banded and recovered in Arkansas from 2005 to 2011 were estimated using the Burnham joint live-dead recovery model in program MARK. Candidate models were created to allow survival to vary by age (adult, young), time (year), and potential hunting pressure (prevs. post-liberalization). The abundance of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas from 20022011 was estimated using the Lincoln Index and either an unadjusted Lincoln Index, using a Mississippi Flyway Canada goose harvest rate, or an adjusted Lincoln Index, using a regional harvest rate estimate. Target harvest rates based on the Potential Biological Removal framework were estimated for a range of recovery factors associated with different potential management strategies using model-averaged survival rates and unadjusted Lincoln Index estimates. Despite recent relaxed hunting regulations, neither annual survival rates nor abundance of temperatenesting Canada geese in Arkansas have declined. Range from 2004-2012 was estimated using volume contour maps from citizen science observations using eBird and hunter recovery locations from the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory. Dispersal of temperate-nesting Canada geese banded and recovered in Arkansas was examined. Emigration, molt migration, and immigration between Arkansas and other states and provinces was examined using geese banded in Arkansas and recovered elsewhere and geese banded elsewhere and recovered in Arkansas. Emigration and immigration interactions were greatest between Arkansas and Missouri. Molt migrant interactions were greatest between Arkansas and Manitoba and Minnesota. Factors explaining molt migration/emigration were examined, and both age and sex were the best predictors. Overall, geographic analysis indicated the range of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas is expanding, but individual geese do not frequently move long distances from banding sites.


The aim of the process of product configuration in engineering design is to determine a set of elements and their relationships; i.e. to create an "arrangement" that satisfies design requirements and constraints. It becomes a difficult process when there are a large number of elements with various relationships and many design constraints. Current AI-based systems for product configuration have not been as successful as expected in their take-up by industry. This paper suggests that one reason for this is that the reasoning mechanisms in these systems are being developed without reference to product structures. Product structures on the other hand is a topic of increasing interest in both research in design and industrial practice in order to cope with a modern engineering design environment. This paper presents a linkage between configuration process and product structures. The approach, i.e., a Virtual Configuration Workbench, is product structure based in contrast with existing approaches which are mainly rule driven or decision tree/network driven, integrated with an effective reasoning engine with a reason maintenance mechanism. A demonstration system called CONFIGMAN has been developed and illustrated briefly in the paper.


Recently, representations and methods aimed at analysing decision problems where probabilities and values (utilities) are associated with distributions over them (second-order representations) have been suggested. In this paper we present an approach to how imprecise information can be modelled by means of second-order distributions and how a risk evaluation process can be elaborated by integrating procedures for numerically imprecise probabilities and utilities. We discuss some shortcomings of the use of the principle of maximising the expected utility and of utility theory in general, and offer remedies by the introduction of supplementary decision rules based on a concept of risk constraints taking advantage of second-order distributions.


In the historical debate, the gender wage gap is usually attributed either to productivity differences or to gender discrimination. By analysing a newly constructed series of spinning wages in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic, the wages of male and female textile workers for the same work could be investigated. At first sight, the evidence on equal piece rates for spinning men and women seems to rule out wage discrimination. Nevertheless, more deeply rooted gender discrimination resulting from the segmented seventeenth-century labour market restricted women's access to many professions. Exactly this segmentation determined differences in wage earning capacities between men and women.


SNOMED CT is a large-scale medical ontology which is developed using a variant of the inexpressive Description Logic EL, a logic-based knowledge representation formalism and a logical underpinning of OWL 2 EL Profile. Description Logic reasoning can be used to compute subsumption relationships between SNOMED CT concepts and to pinpoint the reasons why a certain subsumption holds by finding justifications (sets of axioms responsible for this relationship). This helps the ontology developers to understand such a relationship and to debug it if needed. This article describes an extension of the method of finding one justification to one that finds all justifications for a given subsumption, introduces a SNOMED CT-specific optimization, and presents empirical evaluation results. Our extensive experiments on SNOMED CT show that (i) the proposed modularization-based approach makes it practicable to find all justifications in most cases in SNOMED CT; (ii) the first ten justifications, if any, for a subsumption can be computed in an acceptable runtime, and can be displayed in an incremental manner, i.e., the ontology developers may inspect the first justification while the reasoner continues to find more; and (iii) there is a high degree of commonality among justifications for a subsumption of interest.


This revised edition with new Introduction from a leading anthropologist and an economist is unique in being about consumption but not a sermon for consumers, nor a moan against consumerism. The World of Goods bridges the gap between what anthropologists know about why objects are desired and what economists say about the specialised topic called consumption behaviour. The economist treats the desire for objects as an individual urge grounded in psychology; according to the anthropologist it is for fulfilling social obligations and represents the distribution of goods as a symptom of the form of society. It is a totally different perspectice and raises issues that lie beyond economics. The World of Goods asks new questions about why people save, why they spend, what they buy, and why they sometimes but not always make fine distinctions about quality. It is well-understood now that consumption goods communicate, create identity and establish relationships. But not so well-known that goods exclude as well as include, and that the pattern of their flow shows up the form of society. This book will be essential reading to students and lecturers in anthropology and economics.


Free-stream turbulence preceding high-pressure turbine blades has a crucial impact on blade fields including the heat transfer on the wall. Many parameters characterize this turbulence; its intensity, length scales and physical spectrum are addressed in the study of various operating points of the LS89 configuration. Usually, operating points where weak turbulence is injected are well predicted for all fields by Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) and Large Eddy Simulations (LES). The MUR235 operating point however, with an experimentally injected turbulence level of 6%, remains incorrectly predicted when im-posing the experimental values in the simulations. Such difficulties raise many questions amongst which mesh size and turbulent kinetic energy spectrum are of specific importance for LES. Going away from synthetic turbulence injection by imposing a physical energy spectrum can help improving the prediction of heat transfer. From the present study, it seems that turbulent spots developing in a pre-transition region for higher levels of tur-bulence on the suction side are important features to capture for proper predictions. In parallel, typical structures of boundary layers such as streamwise oriented vortices have been observed and their existence conditions the heat transfer field on the blade wall. From this specific study, all of these physical processes are seen to be highly dependent on the turbulent specification and turbulent transition observed for the MUR235 case. De-pending on these inflow specifications, a transitional boundary layer may be encountered upstream of the shock thus modifying the heat transfer profile.