The MultiSim programme (sponsored by EPSRC under its Frontier Engineering Awards) held a two-day workshop to discuss the opportunities and technological challenges associated with modelling the neuromusculoskeletal (MSK) system. The workshop was attended by 40 participants from the UK MSK community including leading academics from 15 UK Universities, industrial representatives, key individuals from EPSRC, and several clinicians from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. MSK research has made significant progress in the last 5-10 years thanks in particular to the development of new computational modelling techniques and the intensified use of clinical imaging data. This has led to the development of multiscale models that include more and more personalisation about the patient. Such models have enabled for example, much more accurate predictions of the risk of bone fracture in osteoporotic patients and helped surgeons to decide the optimal treatment for lower back pain in a patient-specific manner. In the future, the use of such personalised medicine and multiscale models will intensify to provide more accurate clinical tools and reduce the costs associated with diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients. With the integration of complex biological and physical processes, more transdisciplinarity between engineers, clinicians and biologists is required. This means that more efforts are needed to provide such interdisciplinary training at all levels and to facilitate clinicians to perform research. There is a risk of seeing those scientific and clinical progresses being hindered by the lack of adequate infrastructure that enables testing and validation of our MSK system, and that can handle the integration of large patient data in a seamless manner for the researcher, while preserving the anonymity of the patient. It was recognised that the MSK community needs to have a bigger say at the national level to adequately formulate the importance of MSK disorders within society and highlight the necessity of being included in discussions on the modernisation of the healthcare system. It was concluded that a MSK network within UK should be developed as a result of this workshop. The outcomes from this workshop are well aligned with the research focus and strategic challenges outlined by several key funding bodies.


The balance between inflammatory and repair processes is important in maintaining lung homeostasis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to determine whether or not an integrated index of a biomarker involved in inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP), and another involved in wound repair, fibronectin, may be a good measure to predict clinical outcomes in COPD. Circulating blood levels of CRP and fibronectin were measured in 4,787 individuals with mild-to-moderate COPD who were prospectively followed for >7 yrs after blood collection as part of the Lung Health Study. To assess the balance between repair and inflammation, a simple ratio was calculated by dividing fibronectin levels by CRP levels and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the relationship between this ratio and all-cause and disease-specific causes of mortality. The relationship between the fibronectin to CRP ratio and all-cause mortality was L-shaped. There was an exponential decay in the adjusted hazard function (i.e. the risk of mortality) as the ratio decreased until a value of 148 was reached, beyond which point the hazard function did not change significantly. Similar results were observed for the risk of coronary and cardiovascular mortality. Circulating fibronectin to CRP ratio is significantly associated with all-cause mortality of COPD patients. However, in contrast to other biomarkers, the relationship appears to be L-shaped (and not linear), suggesting a threshold at ∼150. While promising, future studies are needed to validate this simple index as a biomarker in COPD.


A portfolio approach is used here to analyze the value of financial disclosure to stockholders and the need for disclosure regulation. This demonstrates that in a portfolio context the degree of public financial disclosure does not influence a firm's value. Hence, if disclosure is costly, firms have no incentive to disclose information voluntarily. Under partial disclosure, however, investors select inefficient portfolios, implying a substantial welfare loss; hence, we need regulation. The analysis provides a framework for determining optimal disclosure from the point of view of social welfare.


This study examined the influence of an emotionally arousing writing style – as it is common in tabloid formats – on attitude formation and attitude change. It was proposed that different writing styles induce attitudes based on either affect or cognition as well as attitudes with either high or low certainty. Further, it was proposed that the interplay of these attitude characteristics determines the persuasiveness of emotionally and rationally framed persuasion. To test the hypotheses, participants in an experimental study read articles form a magazine about a fictitious attitude object. In the first step, four different types of attitudes varying in attitude basis and attitude certainty were induced through a respectively manipulated article. In the second step, this attitude was affected by a further article, which presented either an emotionally or rationally framed persuasive appeal. The hypotheses on attitude induction through media stimuli as well as three of four hypotheses regarding the persuasiveness of emotionally and rationally framed articles were supported.


Static torsional simple shear tests were performed on poorly graded sand, with and without prior cyclic loading, to evaluate changes in static shear strength. Specimens were prepared at three densities (loose, medium, and dense) and were subjected to one of three levels of cyclic loading corresponding to 0.25, 0.50, or 0.75 times the static stress level, causing failure with no prior cyclic loading. The test results indicate that post-cyclic shear strength increases in specimens that are contractive and decreases in specimens that are dilative during cyclic loading. Results showing the change in friction angle as a function of initial density and level of prior cyclic loading are presented. The observed behavior is consistent with a model that predicts strength changes following cyclic loading as a function of soil volume change characteristics and drainage conditions.


Dear colleagues,
It is my pleasure to welcome you in the third issue of Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine and I hope you find it interesting. In this issue, beside the valuable original articles and an interesting case report, a useful review article have been published concerning the role of nuclear medicine in the management of solitary pulmonary nodule.I am proud to announce you that Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine has been approved by Medical Journal Commission of Ministry of Health and Medical Education to be a Scientific Research Journal.Additionally Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine is now indexed in DOAJ, EBSCO, Index copernicus, ISC, Magiran.Hopefully, the Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine helps you through conveying your valuable experiences in the field of cardio-thoracic medicine. We kindly ask our readers to share their opinions for exploring new ways to make the journal more useful and practical.Finally, I would like to thank all of our dear authors for submitting their articles.


Objective To compare the effect of exercise regimens and medications on systolic blood pressure (SBP). Data sources Medline (via PubMed) and the Cochrane Library. Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I), angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs), β-blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and diuretics were identified from existing Cochrane reviews. A previously published meta-analysis of exercise interventions was updated to identify recent RCTs that tested the SBP-lowering effects of endurance, dynamic resistance, isometric resistance, and combined endurance and resistance exercise interventions (up to September 2018). Design Random-effects network meta-analysis. Outcome Difference in mean change from baseline SBP between comparator treatments (change from baseline in one group minus that in the other group) and its 95% credible interval (95% CrI), measured in mmHg. Results We included a total of 391 RCTs, 197 of which evaluated exercise interventions (10 461 participants) and 194 evaluated antihypertensive medications (29 281 participants). No RCTs compared directly exercise against medications. While all medication trials included hypertensive populations, only 56 exercise trials included hypertensive participants (≥140 mmHg), corresponding to 3508 individuals. In a 10% random sample, risk of bias was higher in exercise RCTs, primarily due to lack of blinding and incomplete outcome data. In analyses that combined all populations, antihypertensive medications achieved higher reductions in baseline SBP compared with exercise interventions (mean difference −3.96 mmHg, 95% CrI −5.02 to −2.91). Compared with control, all types of exercise (including combination of endurance and resistance) and all classes of antihypertensive medications were effective in lowering baseline SBP. Among hypertensive populations, there were no detectable differences in the SBP-lowering effects of ACE-I, ARB, β-blocker and diuretic medications when compared with endurance or dynamic resistance exercise. There was no detectable inconsistency between direct and indirect comparisons. Although there was evidence of small-study effects, this affected both medication and exercise trials. Conclusions The effect of exercise interventions on SBP remains under-studied, especially among hypertensive populations. Our findings confirm modest but consistent reductions in SBP in many studied exercise interventions across all populations but individuals receiving medications generally achieved greater reductions than those following structured exercise regimens. Assuming equally reliable estimates, the SBP-lowering effect of exercise among hypertensive populations appears similar to that of commonly used antihypertensive medications. Generalisability of these findings to real-world clinical settings should be further evaluated.


A methodology has been developed for the analysis of nonconducting (oxide) powder samples by glow discharge atomization-atomic absorption spectrometry (GDA-AAS). The mixing of an oxide powder with a copper host matrix (1:9) allows pressing of a disk sample for glow discharge sputtering. Sample-to-sample precisions are on the order of 3–4% for iron in a geological specimen. The ability to generate analytical working curves is demonstrated for the analysis of iron by mixing Fe (III) and Al (III) oxides in the copper matrix material. The possible utility of the methodology is illustrated by the analysis of iron in an NBS geological reference material. The ability to perform analyses of these sample types suggests its applicability to such matrices as ceramics, glasses, and refractory-based catalysts.


Beginning with the passage of its anti-immigrant "Show-Me-Your-Papers" law in April 2010, S.B. 1070, much has been written about the hostile political climate toward noncitizens in the State of Arizona specifically and the U.S.-Mexico border generally. However, the recent influx of refugees from Central America to the United States has seen a resurgence in the anti-immigrant rhetoric, which is particularly disturbing since a large percentage of the individuals fleeing violence and poverty are children. In this vein, one aspect of the genesis of S.B. 1070 and other anti-immigrant laws that have not received a great deal of attention is the significant presence – and the startling growth of – white supremacist and Neo-Nazi groups throughout Arizona and the Southwest in the years leading up to the introduction and passage of S.B. 1070 and its predecessor laws. While groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have monitored and documented the rise of anti-immigrant hate groups in the Southwest over the past decade, the correlation between the activities of these organizations, anti-immigrant activism, and the passage of state laws designed to intimidate, threaten, and harass noncitizens and other people of color living and working in Arizona and the American Southwest has not been fully explored in the mainstream political and legal media. This Article examines the growth of the white supremacist movement in Arizona and other Southwestern states, and argues that the influence of these groups plays a significant role in the caustic rhetoric we are currently witnessing in the humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border and in the flurry of anti-immigrant laws approved by the state legislature and the electorate since the early 2000s. Part I discusses some of the most prominent white supremacist and Neo-Nazi groups currently operating in Arizona and other states along the U.S.-Mexico border. Part II provides an overview of some of the prominent politicians and citizens in the Southwest who have been linked to extremist and racist groups, and how their affiliations impacted the spread of anti-immigrant rhetoric into the cultural mainstream, as well as the introduction and passage of state anti-immigrant laws and policies. Part III discusses the current humanitarian crisis on the border, and profiles some of the most notorious recent incidents of anti-immigrant sentiment tied to white supremacists – such as the murders of Raul and Brisenia Flores by border vigilantes in 2009 and the murderous rampage of Neo-Nazi J.T. Ready in 2011 – and examines how the anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric of these groups contribute to the ongoing violence against and scapegoating of migrants seeking refuge in the United States. The Article concludes with Part IV, in which I argue that unless and until the white supremacist roots of anti-immigrant rhetoric is acknowledged, the southern border of the United States will continue to be a flashpoint in which hate groups can continue to implement their extremist agenda against noncitizens and people of color.


Two-sided markets consist of platforms that need to bring both retail consumers and complementary goods producers on board to be successful. Consumer adoption of these platforms can often hinge on the presence and magnitude of indirect network effects — the positive feedback loop where a larger base of adopters of a primary product ("hardware") creates a larger market for complementary goods ("software"), which in turn increases the value of the primary good. Prior work attempting to measure indirect network effects often uses aggregate counts of software variety to do so. In this paper, we illustrate the importance of accounting for variation in software quality — a feature present in many markets — when conducting this measurement, and provide the conditions under which not doing so results in over- or underestimation of the actual indirect network effect. We apply our framework to the 7th-generation video game console market with quality-differentiated titles and show that in this market the use of aggregate software measures underestimates the indirect network effects by approximately 30%.


The increasing of high population rate, plus there was a new steel industry named PT. Krakatau Posco in Cilegon has made higher demand of  clean and raw water. The Volume of Nadra Krenceng reservoir used by PT. Krakatau Tirta Industri is still doubted to fulfill water demand in Cilegon. The purpose of this research  to analyze how much the reservoir volume capacity that will always be available and makes the program with Visual Basic Application in Microsoft Excel. The reliability calculation of Nadra Krenceng reservoir was conducted using three methods; F.J Mock, NRECA dependable discharge, and simulation the result of both methods use Weibull Method. The simulation result of Weibull Method shows for F.J Mock dependable discharge with probability of 95%, 90%, 80% and 50% are 5,023,095 m3; 5,733,905 m3; 7,215,525 m3; and 11,600,385 m3 respectively. For NRECA Method simulation, the result with the same series probabilities are 3,831,718 m3; 4,531,326 m3; 5,930,542 m3; and 10,128,191 m3 respectively. The Probabilities used by PT. KTI to guarantee the water availability in Nadra Krenceng reservoir is 80%. To conclude, the available volume of Nadra Krenceng reservoir now 7,215,525 m3 for F.J Mock Method and 5,930,542 m3 for NRECA Method. Both of calculation of water availability of Nadra Krenceng reservoir could achieve good enough accuracy. The R2 values for F.J Mock Methods is 0.685 and 0.653 for NRECA method.


Functional law and economics, which draws its influence from the public choice school of economic thought, stands as a bridge between the strictly positivist and normative approaches to law and economics. While the positive school emphasizes the inherent efficiency of legal rules and the normative school often views law as a solution to market failure and distributional inequality, functional law and economics recognizes the possibility for both market and legal failure. That is, while there are economic forces that lead to failures in the market, there are also structural forces that limit the law's ability to remedy those failures on an issue-by-issue basis. The functional approach then uses economic tools to analyze market and legal behavior in order to create meta-rules which limit the extent of the failures in each realm. These meta-rules are designed to induce individuals to reveal their preferences in cases where collective choices are necessary, and to internalize the effects of their actions generally. This mechanism design or functional approach to law and economics focuses on ex ante social welfare maximization, rejecting both the ex post corrective function of law assumed by the normative school of thought and the naturally evolving efficient system view espoused by the positive school.


Many studies have shown that the transmission control protocol (TCP) which is the major transport protocol in the Internet today is finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the growth of communication network capacities and applications. TCP's inability to properly utilize network links is one of the problems. Besides, TCP takes a long time to achieve fairness between flows. Many of the new modification of TCP inherit these main problems of TCP. Clean-slate protocols such as the explicit Congestion control Protocol (XCP) which get congestion feedback from routers can fully utilize the links and reduce queueing delays in the path of the flows. But XCP, in addition to having many router computation overheads also takes many rounds to allocate fair shares to flows. To solve the drawbacks of XCP and TCP, we have previously presented a network control protocol (NCP). NCP allocates fair share to flows in one round resulting in increased average file completion time (AFCT) as short flows are not blocked by big file transfer flows. Although smaller than that of XCP, NCP uses a 32 bit additional header in every packet to carry a congestion feedback from the routers in the path of every flow to each source of the flow. Apart from the inconvenience of modifying the TCP/IP packet formats, the additional header may accumulate to cause some increase in AFCT. In this paper we present an efficient implementation scheme (algorithm) of the Network Congestion Control (NCP) protocol using Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) bits (eNCP). Using this implementation scheme, NCP does not need any additional packet header, avoiding the per packet overhead. In addition to the convenience of not having to change the TCP/IP packet header format, numerical results show that a significant amount of data overhead can be saved using eNCP. Not having to add a layer can also make NCP easily deployable and backward compatible.


This paper describes the analysis of thermal and mechanical effects during welding and the following cooling-phase on a welded structure. An off-the-shelf aluminum-profile, as used in other simulation sub-projects of the research center, was chosen as a sample part for the simulation tests. Taking up an important production scenario of lightweight-production, the frontal closing of two profiles is modeled. The development of residual stresses and the distortion is investigated by a thermo-mechanical FE-simulation. The virtually examined process is provided by a hybrid, bifocal laser system consisting of both an Nd:YAG-laser and a high power diode laser (HPDL). For comparison, a single Nd:YAG-process was simulated, too. The theoretically different generation of residual stresses can be verified within the simulation.


Abstract. In this paper a new classification technique for hyperspectral data based on synergetics theory is presented. Synergetics – originally introduced by the physicist H. Haken – is an interdisciplinary theory to find general rules for pattern formation through selforganization and has been successfully applied in fields ranging from biology to ecology, chemistry, cosmology, and thermodynamics up to sociology. Although this theory describes general rules for pattern formation it was linked also to pattern recognition. Pattern recognition algorithms based on synergetics theory have been applied to images in the spatial domain with limited success in the past, given their dependence on the rotation, shifting, and scaling of the images. These drawbacks can be discarded if such methods are applied to data acquired by a hyperspectral sensor in the spectral domain, as each single spectrum, related to an image element in the hyperspectral scene, can be analysed independently. The classification scheme based on synergetics introduces also methods for spatial regularization to get rid of "salt and pepper" classification results and for iterative parameter tuning to optimize class weights. The paper reports an experiment on a benchmark data set frequently used for method comparisons. This data set consists of a hyperspectral scene acquired by the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer AVIRIS sensor of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory acquired over the Salinas Valley in CA, USA, with 15 vegetation classes. The results are compared to state-of-the-art methodologies like Support Vector Machines (SVM), Spectral Information Divergence (SID), Neural Networks, Logistic Regression, Factor Graphs or Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM). The outcomes are promising and often outperform state-of-the-art classification methodologies.


Epidemiological evidence on associations between work environment and Parkinson's disease. Lars-Gunnar Gunnarsson, assistant professor at School of Medicine, Orebro University, Sweden andLennart Bodin, professor emeritus, Department of Statistics, Orebro University, Sweden and senior researcher at Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.In this systematic literature review we identified 93 original publications on associations between work and Parkinson's disease (PD). GRADE guidelines were used to secure high scientific quality and reliable guidelines were applied to classify the papers. Forty-nine papers fulfilled high quality standards while 44 were methodologically deficient and thus were excluded from our meta-analyses.Twenty five publications concerned work exposure to pesticides. The weighted relative risk (RR) estimate was 1.72 (95% confidence interval 1.46-2.04). A funnel plot and tests indicated that some publication bias concerning smaller studies might have been present. The risk estimate was not influenced by study design (case-control, cohort or cross section study) or gender. Higher estimates were found when there was a hereditary taint or onset below age 60.In 15 publications exposure to electromagnetic fields was considered and there was no indication of risk, RR 1.07 (95% confidence interval 0.98-1.18).Meta-analyses of ten studies on exposure for metals showed a statistically diminished risk estimate, RR 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.82-0.89). A proposed explanation to this seemingly beneficial effect is hormesis meaning that exposures of a low-moderate dosage of toxic agents can induce neuroprotective mechanisms.


Traditionally, dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) techniques have focused on minimizing the processor power consumption as opposed to the entire system energy. However, the slowdown resulting from DVS can increase the energy consumption of components like memory and network interfaces. Furthermore, leakage power consumption, which is increasing with the scaling device technology, must also be considered. In this paper, we present an algorithm to compute task slowdown factors based on the contribution of the processor leakage and standby energy consumption of the resources in the system. We combine slowdown with procrastination of task executions to extend sleep intervals which significantly reduces the leakage energy consumption. We show that the scheduling approach minimizes the total static and dynamic energy consumption of the systemwide resources. In this work, we consider a real-time system model using the Earliest Deadline First (EDF) policy. Our simulation experiments using randomly generated task sets show on an average 10%energy gains over traditional dynamic voltage scaling. Our procrastination scheme increases the average energy savings to 15%.


Abstract. This study presents a first analysis of precipitation and related microphysical processes observed by three polarimetric X-band Doppler radars (BoXPol, JuXPol and KiXPol) in conjunction with a ground-based network of disdrometers, rain gauges and vertically pointing micro rain radars (MRRs) during the High Definition Clouds and Precipitation for advancing Climate Prediction (HD(CP)2) Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE) during April and May 2013 in Germany. While JuXPol and KiXPol were continuously observing the central HOPE area near Forschungszentrum Julich at a close distance, BoXPol observed the area from a distance of about 48.5 km. MRRs were deployed in the central HOPE area and one MRR close to BoXPol in Bonn, Germany. Seven disdrometers and three rain gauges providing point precipitation observations were deployed at five locations within a 5 km  ×  5 km region, while three other disdrometers were collocated with the MRR in Bonn. The daily rainfall accumulation at each rain gauge/disdrometer location estimated from the three X-band polarimetric radar observations showed very good agreement. Accompanying microphysical processes during the evolution of precipitation systems were well captured by the polarimetric X-band radars and corroborated by independent observations from the other ground-based instruments.


Stock prices are formed based on short and/or long-term commercial and trading activities that reflect different frequencies of trading patterns. However, these patterns are often elusive as they are affected by many uncertain political-economic factors in the real world, such as corporate performances, government policies, and even breaking news circulated across markets. Moreover, time series of stock prices are non-stationary and non-linear, making the prediction of future price trends much challenging. To address them, we propose a novel State Frequency Memory (SFM) recurrent network to capture the multi-frequency trading patterns from past market data to make long and short term predictions over time. Inspired by Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), the SFM decomposes the hidden states of memory cells into multiple frequency components, each of which models a particular frequency of latent trading pattern underlying the fluctuation of stock price. Then the future stock prices are predicted as a nonlinear mapping of the combination of these components in an Inverse Fourier Transform (IFT) fashion. Modeling multi-frequency trading patterns can enable more accurate predictions for various time ranges: while a short-term prediction usually depends on high frequency trading patterns, a long-term prediction should focus more on the low frequency trading patterns targeting at long-term return. Unfortunately, no existing model explicitly distinguishes between various frequencies of trading patterns to make dynamic predictions in literature. The experiments on the real market data also demonstrate more competitive performance by the SFM as compared with the state-of-the-art methods.


An N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (AAF) modified deoxyoligonucleotide duplex, d(C1-C2-A3-C4-[AAF-G5]-C6-A7-C8-C9).d(G10-G11-T12-G13-C14-++ +G15-T16-G17-G18), was studied by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Eight of the nine complementary nucleotides form Watson-Crick base pairs, as shown by NOEs between the guanine imino proton and cytosine amino protons for G.C base pairs or by an NOE between the thymine imino proton and adenine H2 proton for A.T base pairs. The AAF-G5 and C14 bases show no evidence of complementary hydrogen bond formation to each other. The AAF-G5 base adopts a syn conformation, as indicated by NOEs between the G5 imino proton and the A3-H3' and A3-H2'/H2" protons and by NOEs between the fluorene-H1 proton of AAF and the G5-H1' or C6-H1' proton. The NOEs from the C4-H6 proton to C4 sugar protons are weak, and thus the glycosidic torsion angle in this nucleotide is not well defined by these NMR data. The remaining bases are in the anti conformation, as depicted by the relative magnitude of the H8/H6 to H2' NOEs when compared to the H8/H6 to H1' NOEs. The three base pairs on each end of the duplex exhibit NOEs characteristic of right-handed B-form DNA. Distance restraints obtained from NOESY data recorded at 32 degrees C using a 100-ms mixing time were used in conformational searches by molecular mechanics energy minimization studies. The final, unrestrained, minimum-energy conformation was then used as input for an unrestrained molecular dynamics simulation. Chemical exchange cross peaks are observed, and thus the AAF-9-mer exists in more than a single conformation on the NMR time scale. The NMR data, however, indicate the presence of a predominant conformation (> or = 70%). The structure of the predominant conformation of the AAF-9-mer shows stacking of the fluorene moiety on an adjacent base pair, exhibiting features of the base-displacement [Grunberger, D., Nelson, J. H., et al. (1970) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 66, 488-494] and insertion-denaturation models [Fuchs, R.P.P., & Daune, M. (1971) FEBS Lett. 14, 206-208], while the distal ring of the fluorene moiety protrudes into the minor groove.


This study considers relationships between the cognitive style
identified by Witkin et al (1964) (ie analytic/field independence,
as opposed to global/field dependence) and children's perceptions of
their environment. Arising from a review of the literature, a Nariety
of hypotheses were examined through an empirical investigation with
481 children aged between 10 and 13 and drawn from a rural and an
urban environment.
The results of the study raise questions about the conceptual
inadequacy and empirical validity of the style identified by Witkin
and further whether the tests used to identify the style can explain
performance on map and environmental exercises. The inter correlations
between the three measures of cognitive .style used in the study were
comparatively low (Embedded Figures Test (E2T) with Rod and Frame Test
(RFT) 0.4290 p< 0.01, Pnbedded Figures Test with Articulation of Body
Concept Scale (ABC) 0.4392 p <0.01, RFT with ABC 0.3448 D <0.01) and
the most regularly used measure of this particular cognitive style in
previous research (FT) correlated more highly with intelligence
(0.5982 p <0.01) particularly perceptual reasoning (0.5616 p-<0.01)
and spatial ability (0.7333 p<0.01) than with RFT and ABC. In the
investigation of 25 specific research hypotheses, a more positive
relationship was demonstrated with the result of the Embedded Figures
Test than with those of the RFT and ABC and it is suggested that this
can be explained in terms of general intellectual ability. Sintlarly
performance on the measures of environmental perception and mapping
skill employed in the study appeared to be considerably influenced by
general intelligence and more especially perceptual reasoning. The
strong spatial/intellectual bias of the relationships identified in
the research were confirmed in a principal components and multiple
regression analysis of the results.
In a follow up study of a representative group of extreme analytic/
field independent individuals and extreme global/field dependent
individuals it was possible to identify children who demonstrated
capacitieS as described by Witkin, which were not dependent upon
ability. In general however, intelligence was the major differentia—
ting factor betwee'n the two groups.
Specific findings related to each of the research hypotheses
are discuesed in detail in the text. The main findings of the study
however appear to question the existence of the cognitive style
identified by Witkin and the expectation of an association be tween
cognitive style and environmental perception was not confirmed.


This Article examines the development of a European framework for considering the law applicable to state private interventions in the market, both their own and those of other states through direct investment or through sovereign wealth funds. For this purpose, it closely analyzes the so-called golden share decisions of the European Court of Justice delivered between 2002 and 2007, through which the ECJ sought to apply the free movement of capital provisions of the European Treaties to vestigial issues of the construction of a post-socialist political economy in Europe. The Article then applies those insights in three distinct cases of sovereign participation in private market activity: the purchase of shares of a domestic company by a state; the purchase of shares of a foreign corporation by a state; and the purchase of shares by a multi-state sovereign wealth fund. It suggests the importance of the state aids jurisprudence of European Competition Law, a different result under American law, and the tensions inherent in the rising European jurisprudence with the parallel development of principles of foreign sovereign immunity. The central point of the Article is this: Traditional choice of law analysis is grounded in a stubborn belief in the separability of public and private law, and positing issues of conflicts (and choice) of law as a central problem of private law for transactions among several jurisdictions. This grounding misses an important new development in conflicts (and choice) of law as well as the substantive consequences of those choices. That development, in turn, is founded on the growth of a new phenomenon, the increasing tendency of states to behave like private actors (participating in markets) rather than as sovereigns (regulating markets). The general framework of the analysis has been choice of law related, but not in the traditional sense. Traditionally, the activities of sovereigns, either as regulators or participants did not raise issues of either choice or conflict of laws. But all that is changing. Modern globalization has effectively introduced a global advance toward free movement of capital and to greater protection of private activity from regulation. At the same time, states have sought to act more energetically as private as well as public actors. In a global legal order in which the value of state sovereignty has diminished and the cross border element of transactions has increased, states can extend their authority as private actors to an extent difficult when they seek to regulate as sovereigns. States privatize their traditional activities or seek to regulate indirectly by acting in markets. It is in this emerging jurisprudential milieu that issues of choice of law arise - when states seek to participate in markets, does private or public law apply?; and whose law applies in any case? The essay offers no answers to these questions. It suggests that the European Court of Justice's golden share cases provides an excellent window on a difficult issue of choice of law, and a revolutionary one. The transnationalization of corporate law norms provides an opportunity not only to examine the changing landscape of choice of law in private law, but also the creation of a new set of vertical choice of law questions, and the substantive consequences of their adoption.


Approximately 290 omnipotent suppressors, which enhance translational misreading, were isolated in strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing the psi+ extrachromosomal determinant. The suppressors could be assigned to 8 classes by their pattern of suppression of five nutritional markers. The suppressors were further distinguished by differences in growth on paromomycin medium, hypertonic medium, low temperatures (10 degrees), nonfermentable carbon sources, alpha-aminoadipic acid medium, and by their dominance and recessiveness. Genetic analysis of 12 representative suppressors resulted in the assignment of these suppressors to 6 different loci, including the three previously described loci SUP35 (chromosome IV), SUP45 (chromosome II) and SUP46 (chromosome II), as well as three new loci SUP42 (chromosome IV), SUP43 (chromosome XV) and SUP44 (chromosome VII). Suppressors belonging to the same locus had a wide range of different phenotypes. Differences between alleles of the same locus and similarities between alleles of different loci suggest that the omnipotent suppressors encode proteins that effect different functions and that altered forms of each of the proteins can effect the same function.


Economics has seen a recent rise in interest in information theory as an alternative framework to the conventional notion of equilibrium as a fixed state, such as Walrasian market†clearing general equilibrium. The information theoretic approach is predicated on the notion of statistical equilibrium (SE) that takes a distribution over all possible states as an equilibrium, and therefore predicts the endogenous fluctuations of the system along with its central tendency simultaneously. For this reason, SE approaches can explain the observed data without relying on arbitrary assumptions about random noise and provide useful insights for many interesting economic problems that conventional methods have not been able to satisfactorily deal with. In this paper, we review the key elements of information theory focusing on the notions and applications of entropy and SE in economics, particularly paying attention to how entropy concepts open up a new frontline of economic research.


The move toward an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) requires new operational tools in order to support management decisions. Among them, ecosystem- and fisheries-based models are critical to quantitatively predict the consequences of future scenarios by integrating available knowledge about the ecosystem across different scales. Despite increasing development of these complex system models in the last decades, their operational use is still currently limited in Europe. Many guidelines are already available to help the development of complex system models for advice yet they are often ignored. We identified three main impediments to the use of complex system models for decision support: (1) their very complexity which is a source of uncertainty; (2) their lack of credibility, (3) and the challenge of communicating/transferring complex results to decision makers not accustomed to deal with multivariate uncertain results. In this paper, we illustrate these somehow theoretical "best practices" with tangible successful examples, which can help the transfer of complex system models from academic science to operational advice. We first focus on handling uncertainty by optimizing model complexity with regards to management objectives and technical issues. We then list up methods, such as transparent documentation and performance evaluation, to increase confidence in complex system models. Finally, we review how and where complex system models could fit within existing institutional and legal settings of the current European fisheries decision framework. We highlight where changes are required to allow for the operational use of complex system models. All methods and approaches proposed are illustrated with successful examples from fisheries science or other disciplines. This paper demonstrates that all relevant ingredients are readily available to make complex system models operational for advice.


Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) is one of the most important fruit crop grown in Hungary, The flowering phenology and pollen shedding/stigma viability ratio, in an effort to elucidate the reproductive phenology of nine economically important sour cherry cultivars (Erdi bőtermő, Debreceni bőtermő, Csengődi, Kantorjanosi 3. Pandy 279. Ujfehertoi furtos, Petri, Eva, and Oblacsinszka) all widespread in the Hungary, was studied at Ujfeherto climatic condition. The main aims were to investigate how possible environmental cues influence timing and development of phenophases and whether different cultivars have different seasonal responses to these cues. Likely effects of climatic changes on phenological development patterns were also considered. Our results revealed important aspects of the reproductive biology of sour cherry flowers. The amplitude of the phenophase "beginning of blossoming" between cultivars did not exceed 6 days. There is maximum 3 days difference in blooming length of different direction in each cultivar. Pandy 279 showed high variability when the position of flowers changed on the tree shoots. Ujfehertoi furtos was stable in all four directions of tree. The pollen shedding period and stigma viability ratio was well synchronous. Pollen shedding phenomenon occurred in the range limitation of secretary activity of stigmas in all five cultivars. Distribution of pollen shedding over the secretary activity of stigmas is almost good. In all five cultivars maximum pollen shedding occurred about the high temperature part of the day.


Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of coping skills training based on "Marlatt Relapse Prevention Model" in relapse prevention and resiliency enhancement in subjects with substance dependency. Method: In a semi-experimental study, 27 subjects with diagnosis of opiate dependency who successfully detoxified were divided into two experimental group (13 subjects) and control group (14 subjects) selected by available sampling method. The experimental group received 12 sessions of coping skills training and the control group did not receive any treatment. All subjects were assessed by Conner-Davidson Resiliency Scale (CD-RIS) and morphine test before treatment, after treatment, and after a 4-month follow up stage. Data were analyzed using χ2 test and covariance analysis. Results: χ2 test result showed that experimental and control groups had a significant difference in relapse rates. In addition, covariance analysis showed a significant difference between two groups in resiliency enhancement at periods of post test and follow up. Conclusion: Study results indicated that coping skills training is effective in resiliency enhancement and relapse prevention in people with substance dependency.


The article examines the historical development of infant mortality in the Hanseatic city of Rostock, with a special focus on the question of how socio-economic factors influenced infant mortality in the early 19th century. Compared with the rest of Germany, the city exhibited an exceedingly low infant mortality level, in particular in the first third of the century. Our analyses show that the occupation of the father had a significant influence on the survival probability of a child in the first year of life in the early 19th century. Newborn children of fathers in lower ranked occupations exhibited a greater mortality risk in the first year of life than the offspring of fathers with occupations of higher status. The analyses are based on the registries of burials and baptisms of St. James's Church (Jakobikirche) in Rostock, which are largely preserved and much of which has been digitalised. Based on these individual data, this is the first event history analysis model conducted in the context of infant mortality in a German city in the 19th century. This article is also the first to reveal Rostock infant mortality rates for the entire 19th century according to sex, thus closing two research gaps.


Stover quality traits are important in breeding programmes of maize cultivars. However, conventional procedures for evaluation of stover quality are expensive and thus limit the full exploitation of the available genetic variability. Our objective was to assess the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with a new sample presentation unit to determine feeding quality of maize stover. The plant material comprised maize inbreds and hybrids. The sample presentation unit was equipped with a near-infrared diode-array spectrometer. Coefficient of determination in cross-validation ranged between 0.77 and 0.94 for contents of dry matter, nitrogen, neutral detergent fibre and in vitro fermentability expressed as gas volume after 24h incubation time, but it was lower for ash content. It was concluded that NIRS with the new sample presentation unit was less accurate than laboratory NIRS to predict the standard reference methods. However, the new sample presentation unit might be used as a fast and efficient technique to perform large screenings of maize stover accessions in breeding programmes.


Two novel fluorescence methods for the assay of peptide transport in microorganisms are described. These methods are compared with conventional radiotracer assays, and certain advantages of the fluorescence techniques are highlighted. Peptide uptake in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is investigated. It is shown that peptide and amino acid uptake are distinct, intact peptide accumulation is demonstrated, and the presence of a single main peptide permease, which handles a range of di- and tripeptides, is demonstrated. A mutant deficient in this permease is isolated on the basis of resistance to the dipeptide-mimetic antibiotic bacilysin. Peptide uptake in Streptococcus faecalis is also shown to be distinct from amino acid transport, and intact peptide accumulation is again demonstrated. A strain of Strep, faecalis (faecium) is shown to possess two peptide permeases, a high-rate system for di- and tripeptides, and a low-rate oligopeptide system. Other strains of Strep, faecalis are shown to differ in their peptide transport specificity. Mutant strains deficient in peptide permeases or intracellular peptiaases are isolated on the basis of resistance to peptide mimetic antibiotics. The coupling of metabolic energy to peptide transport is investigated in Sacc. cerevisiae and Strep, faecalis. In both cases a proton-motive-force is implicated. Some preliminary investigations of the energy consumption of peptide transport in Strep, faecalis, implying the same stoichiometry for tri-, tetra- and pentaalanine uptake, are reported.


: Purpose: The purpose of this article is the systemic modernization of scientific ideas relating to the essential factors and conditions of functioning and development of regional socio-economic systems. Design/Methodology/Approach: To substantiate the article about the possibility of overcoming the socio-economic stagnation and recession of the region's economy based on modernization of research tools and management of local and regional socio-economic processes using modern agglomerative technologies and methods. Findings: Finding lies in clarifying the arrangement, structure and importance of socio-economic processes, factors and conditions of local, regional and interregional level that determine the effectiveness and sustainability of functioning of the economy. Practical Implications: Are determined by the possibility to use authors' scientific results for audit, evaluation and adjustment of regional socio-economic impacts, measures and development programs, used during designing, forecast and assessment of socio-economic and complex efficiency of local and regional socio-economic activeness in the cities and municipal areas. Originality / Value: It is substantiated by development of the theory and methodology of regional studies of socio-economic factors and conditions that determine long-term prospects of stable functioning and sustainable development of the regional economy on the basis of adaptation of the basic direction of the system and reproduction processes.


John Murdoch Mitchison, known as Murdoch, was elected FRS in recognition of his work on the cell cycle. This emerged from a lifelong interest in the natural sciences, interrupted by war-time work in Operational Research which developed his critical appraisal of research technique. Post-war, he completed a PhD at Cambridge, then worked with Sir Michael Swann FRS on mitotic membrane changes in sea urchins. In 1953 Murdoch joined the University of Edinburgh Zoology Department and in time switched his interest to the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Over the next 30 years he investigated cell growth and division, employing a meticulous approach to experiments. He considered there to be a 'growth cycle' in cells, independent of the DNA-division cycle. There is experimental evidence to support this idea, but further investigations of it have been limited. Actively fostering a relaxed but industrious and enquiring ethos in the lab, Murdoch ran the department jointly with Aubrey Manning. The Mitchison group's work at Edinburgh attracted students including Paul Nurse (later Sir Paul Nurse; FRS 1989, PRS 2010–2015), Béla Novak, Kim Nasmyth (FRS 1989) and Peter Fantes as well as many visiting academics. Murdoch's work on S. pombe came to both national and international recognition, forming a foundation for the current thriving community of researchers in cell physiology, cell genetics and molecular biology. Murdoch is remembered for his single-minded commitment to cell biology research and his generous, fair-minded support of younger colleagues and students. He was, additionally, an expert landscape gardener, a convivial host and phenomenally well-informed on most subjects.


The purpose of this study is to seek the possible relationship between the classroom management, critical thinking, and years of teaching experience of Iranian EFL teachers. A total of 85 teachers (50 female and 35 male) ranging in age from 20 to 38 and varied in their ELT experience from 2 to 18 years were invited to participate in this research. The researchers employed two kinds of instruments to conduct this correlational research: (1) a questionnaire on critical thinking by Honey (2000), and (2) a questionnaire on classroom management by Martin and Sass (2010), both of which were of Likert-scale type. The result of the data analysis showed that there was an almost strong positive relationship between Iranian EFL teachers classroom management and critical thinking, which was also statistically significant, rs = .722, P ˂.05. The result of the Mann-Whitney U test for the second inferential statistics showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the teachers with different teaching experiences, U=611.50, p = .008 ˂ 0.05. Hence, it was concluded that more experienced teachers had better classroom management ability.


Tens of thousands of manuscripts dating from the fifth to the tenth centuries were discovered in Mogao cave n. 17 at Dunhuang, in Gansu Province. These documents have completely transformed the discipline of Chinese medieval history in its various aspects. The course of this renewal extended over several decades throughout the twentieth century. One of the fields which remained largely unexplored until recent years was the history of the Chinese book and the production of writing, with particular focus on manuscripts as objects carrying meaning. The discovery of a large number of manuscripts dating back to the first few centuries of the Common Era has opened up new perspectives and allowed parallel lines of questioning to be drawn. The emergence of codicology and the development of research on the history of text production applied to western manuscripts have provided a model upon which to open a new chapter in the history of Chinese manuscript books. This innovative approach focuses on the production of manuscripts and their utilization, handling and preservation as much as on their design, the readership for whom they were intended and how they were written and read. This book represents a first attempt at writing a history of ancient and medieval Chinese texts in their context.


The purpose of this report is to describe the dentoalveolar distraction (DAD) technique and to present its effects on the surrounding structures by presenting a Class II case. A 15-year-old skeletal and dental Class II female patient with an overjet of 9 mm was treated by DAD osteogenesis. A custom-made, rigid, tooth-borne intraoral distraction device was used for rapid canine retraction. Osteotomies surrounding the canines were made to achieve rapid movement of the canines within the dentoalveolar segment, in compliance with distraction osteogenesis principles. The amount of canine retraction was 7.5 mm in 12 days at a rate of 0.625 mm per day, with no posterior anchorage loss. The canine teeth showed 1.6 mm extrusion and 11 degrees inclination change (distal tipping) during the same period. Orthodontic treatment continued for 6 months with no clinical and radiographic evidence of complications such as root fracture, root resorption, ankylosis, and soft tissue dehiscence. The DAD technique is an innovative method, because it reduces overall orthodontic treatment time by about 50%, with no unfavorable effects on periodontal tissues and surrounding structures and with no need to use any intraoral or extraoral anchorage appliances.


Background of Study: Patients with thyroid disorders were found to have continued to experience symptoms of depression despite the great of treatment has been given to the patient to balance the thyroid hormones. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the level of depression symptoms among various types of thyroid disorders patients. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at one of the government hospital at central region of Peninsular Malaysia from August to October 2016. Patients were diagnosed as thyroid disorders, Malaysian citizen, above 18 years old and did not have any psychiatric disorders were included in this study.Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-42 (DASS-42) was selected to determine the severity of depression symptoms and interpreted as follow: less than 9-no depression, between 10 and 13-mild depression, between 14-20-moderate depression, between 21 and 27- severe depression and more than 28-extreme severe depression. Descriptive statistic was analysed by IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Results: About 15% (23) out of 153 thyroid patients had varies degree of depression symptoms from mild to severe extremely depression. Patients who had hyperthyroid were found to have more depressed, followed by hypothyroid and thyroid cancer group. Conclusion: These findings would suggest that the depression score was higher in the patients who have hyperthyroid. A more detail and thorough study is recommended to be done, in order to confirm these findings. Please click PDF below to download the full paper...


The outer solar system exhibits an anomalous pattern of orbital clustering, characterized by an approximate alignment of the apsidal lines and angular momentum vectors of distant, long-term stable Kuiper Belt objects. One explanation for this dynamical confinement is the existence of a yet-undetected planetary-mass object, "Planet Nine (P9)." Previous work has shown that trans-Neptunian objects, that originate within the scattered disk population of the Kuiper Belt, can be corralled into orbital alignment by Planet Nine's gravity over ∼Gyr timescales, and characteristic P9 parameters have been derived by matching the properties of a synthetic Kuiper Belt generated within numerical simulations to the available observational data. In this work, we show that an additional dynamical process is in play within the framework of the Planet Nine hypothesis, and demonstrate that P9-induced dynamical evolution facilitates orbital variations within the otherwise dynamically frozen inner Oort cloud. As a result of this evolution, inner Oort cloud bodies can acquire orbits characteristic of the distant scattered disk, implying that if Planet Nine exists, the observed census of long-period trans-Neptunian objects is comprised of a mixture of Oort cloud and Kuiper Belt objects. Our simulations further show that although inward-injected inner Oort cloud objects exhibit P9-driven orbital confinement, the degree of clustering is weaker than that of objects originating within the Kuiper Belt. Cumulatively, our results suggest that a more eccentric Planet Nine is likely necessary to explain the data than previously thought.


John Durbyfield is a poor farmer who lives in the village of Marlott. He has seven children and Tess is the eldest, innocent and beautiful daughter of them. She is seventeen years old and she is very charming. Due to her father's illness, Tess, accompanied by her younger brother Abraham, drives the family cart to the market. It is early in the morning and Tess and Abraham get drowsy. Suddenly their poor little cart collides with the morning mail cart. The horse, Prince, on whom the economy of the family depends, is killed in the collision. In order to improve the financial condition of the family, the innocent Tess, who is no more than a child, becomes the poultry keeper for the blind woman of this wealthy family. This woman Mrs. Simson Stroke has an only son, Alec. Alec is a young man without moral principles and he is interested only in seducing Tess. One day he offers her a lift on his horseback in inevitable circumstances Tess accepts the offer, partly to save herself from the quarrel, Alec who had evil plans to seduce her succeeded when Tess is in helpless condition. Circumstances soon contrive Tess's fall. Later Tess joined as a dairy maid at Talbothays and met Angel Clare and fell in love with him and married. Many dramatic circumstances, fate and chance compelled Tess to face hard realities of life. At the end she murders Alec and went to jail later she is hanged. Hardy concludes in his own typical way "As flies to wanton boys are we to Gods they kill us for their sport.


Tree dehardening and budburst will occur earlier in a warmer climate, and this could lead to an increased risk of frost damage caused by temperature backlashes. By using a spring backlash index and a cold hardiness model, we assessed different aspects of risk for frost damage in Norway spruce forests during the present climate and for one future emission scenario. Uncertainties associated with climate modelling were quantified by using temperature data from three climate data sets: (1) E-Obs gridded observed climate data, (2) an ensemble of data from eight regional climate models (RCM) forced by ERA-40 reanalysis data, (3) an ensemble of regional climate scenarios produced by the regional climate model RCA3 driven at the boundary conditions by seven global climate models (GCM), all representing the SRES A1B emission scenario. The frost risk was analysed for three periods, 1961-1990, 2011-2040 and 2070-2097. The RCA3 GCM ensemble indicated that the risk for spring frost damage may increase in the boreo-nemoral forest zone of southern Scandinavia and the Baltic states/Belarus. This is due to an increased frequency of backlashes, lower freezing temperatures after the onset of the vegetation period and the last spring frost occurring when the trees are closer to budburst. The changes could be transient due to the fine balance between an increased risk of frost damage caused by dehardening during a period when freezing temperatures are common and a decreased risk caused by warmer temperatures. In the nemoral zone, the zone with highest risk for spring backlashes during the reference period (1961-1990), the spring frost severity may increase due to frost events occurring when the trees are closer to budburst. However, the risk in terms of frequency of backlashes and freezing temperature were projected to become lower already in the beginning of this century.


Dry matter production and distribution to major plant organs were
studied by periodic harvests over 12 months in six varieties of cassava
with varying b ranching patterns. Simultaneous studies traced the pattern
of branching, leaf size and leaf area development, rates o f leaf production
and of nod e weight increase, and leaf life.
Total dry matter production depends on leaf area index (LAI) and
leaf photosynthetic rate. Measurements by an infra-red gas analyzer on
single attached leaves indicated varietal differences in apparent
photosynthetic rates. The LAI of three varieties, with high, intermediate
and low rates, was altered by leaf and apex clipping. A
relationship was found between crop growth rate ( CGR) and LAI, and a
possible association between CGR and photosynthetic efficiency.
LAI is influenced by canopy characteristics, viz. leaf size, rate
of leaf production and leaf life. Leaf production has two components:
production rate per apex, and rate of apex production which relates to
branching.
Root bulking has a lower optimal LAI than CGR, implying competition
with dry matter utilization by stems, leaves and stakes. The capacity
for b ranching determines LAI but also establishes the potential for top
growth and its competitive sink strength . Node weight increased throughout
the crop duration, and b ranching both augmented the stem mas s and
accelerated leaf production rate through rapid apex increase. Results
from leaf and apex clipping suggest that new leaves constituted a very substantial sink.


The issues and problems flowing from common competencies are shared by many, if not all, decentralised and federal systems; they are a feature arising from the division of powers between two levels of government. The problem is particularly pronounced when a third level of government is added - local government. Common competencies are mainly a function of the way local government powers are defined in constitutions. Because of the position of local government in the hierarchy of governments, local government is seldom given clearly demarcated exclusive powers. Moreover, the supervisory role of the 'senior' levels of government over local government, inevitably means that concurrency of powers occurs. Common competencies create a number of problems for the effective and efficient functioning of government. They include the following: duplication of services; ineffective service delivery; unfunded mandates for the lowest level of government; the domination of local government by 'senior' levels of government; and the lack of transparency and accountability. There are basically two approaches in dealing with these problems: first, seek greater division and certainty in the division of powers; and second, develop constructive ways of managing the tension through cooperation between levels of government.


In 1984, a Moroccan national named Abdelkrim Belachheb walked into Iannis Restaurant, a trendy Dallas nightclub, and gunned down seven people. Six died. Despite the fact that the crimes occurred in a state that prides itself on being tough on criminals, the death penalty was not an option for the Belachheb jury. Even though he had committed six murders, and his guilt was never in question (despite his insanity defense), his crimes were not capital murders under 1984 statutes. As a direct result of this crime, during the 1985 regular session the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 8--the "multiple murder" statute--to make serial killing and mass murder capital crimes. Belachheb's case serves as an excellent example to explore capital punishment and the insanity defense. Furthermore, Belachheb's easy entry into the United States (despite his violent record in Europe) highlights our contemporary fear over lax immigration screening and subsequent terrorism. The case is unique in that debate usually arises from an execution. Belachheb was given life imprisonment and is currently under maximum security--a fate some would argue is "worse than death." He is scheduled to have his first parole hearing in 2004, the twentieth anniversary of his crime. "This is a superbly written book about an extraordinary case whose significance ranged from influencing death penalty legislation to directly foreshadowing the types of security lapses that led to September 11th. It is among the best I have read in its genre."--Bob Brown, ABC news correspondent for 20/20


This project is a visibilization and analyzation of gender and human rights abuses. Focusing on the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile and the following democratic transition, it unravels the systematic and social oppression of gender. The question remains, how is gender manipulated as a tactic of conflict and a means of control? There are clear social elements working to obstruct justice following the catastrophic forms of torture at the hands of the state. These forms of torture were blatantly gendered as a means for intensified state mandated terrorism. In other words, sexual violence in all forms was clearly a tactic of the state to install not only a deeper level of fear but also a direct mean of control. This trauma had become a vulnerability. It has bred a sort of shame and silence that disables communities to the point that it is normalized. Sexualized violence operates on a continuum. When there is no persecution of the military, no conversation about the severity of sexual violence, nor the understanding of just how many women and children were subjected to these horrors, violent behavior towards women and their bodies settles into the day to day lives of the people. Oppressive systems of power seem inevitable. This project illustrates the ways women were affected differently by the dictatorship, not exclusively in regards to sexual violence, but with the consideration that most women prisoners were subjected to such. It reveals that the values of the dictator live and thrive in society today. It furthermore inquires into the ways survivor's stories are silenced. My primary sources are interviews with five, female survivors of political persecution. Their testimonies corroborate the use of sexual violence as a form of torture, the imprisonment of minors, and the neglect of the newly democratized state. This sense of ambivalence is what many survivors are fighting against now. I use the themes of the continuum of sexual violence, shame, silence, and the lack of reparations to create a conversation based off of said testimonies.


Alkylphenols and most pesticides, especially organochlorine pesticides are endocrine-disrupting chemicals and they usually mimic the female hormone, estrogen. Using these chemicals in our environment would eventually lead us to consume them somehow in the food web. Several rivers in the State of Selangor, Malaysia were selected to monitor the level of alkylphenols and pesticides contamination for several months. The compounds were extracted from the water samples using liquid-liquid extraction method with dichloromethane and ethyl acetate as the extracting solvents. The alkylphenols and pesticides were analyzed by selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode using the quadrapole detector in Shimadzu QP-5000 gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GCMS). Recovery of most alkylphenols and pesticides were in the range of 50% to 120%. Trace amounts of the compounds were detected in the river water samples, mainly in the range of parts per trillion. This technique of monitoring the levels of endocrine-disruptors in river water is consistent and cost effective. Asia Pac JPublic Health 2004,- 16(1): 54- 63.


This paper introduces Arcade.PLC, a verification platform for programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The tool supports static analysis as well as ACTL and past-time LTL model checking using counterexample-guided abstraction refinement for different programming languages used in industry. In the underlying principles of the framework, knowledge about the hardware platform is exploited so as to provide efficient techniques. The effectiveness of the approach is evaluated on programs implemented using a combination of programming languages.


Issues surrounding the implementation of fast, effective, and accurate strain measurement systems continue to make strain measurement a difficult instrumentation problem. Difficulties in constructing effective systems forstrain measurement are particularly felt in fatigue testing, large-scale testing, or in the testing of mobile vehicles. A brief analysis of the difficulties encountered in these applications provides a motivation for the design of new system architectures for strain measurement based on a paradigm of networks and information processing. The design of a networked data acquisition system for strain measurement is described. The system involves a dedicated data acquisition system installed at each gage or rosette that performs bridge excitation and completion, regular sampling, and monitors trend information. A digital communications network is used to allow each gage to be configured as a client in a stateless client-server network application. Together, the components form a new architecture for strain data acquisition based on a network of intelligent devices that can be controlled by any general purpose computer. The proposed system architecture addresses many of the problems associated with conventional strain measurements by minimizing its reliance on analog signal manipulation. The paper discusses the design of a prototype system designed in this manner and discusses the performance that can be achieved using this approach.


Peach rust is a fungal disease that affect the leaves and, less commonly, twigs and fruit of peach trees. The fungus that causes peach rust thrives in Florida's humid climate and may cause significant economic losses in severely affected orchards. This 5-page fact sheet details peach rust symptoms, disease cycle, and management, including fungicide treatments. Written by Courtney Ligon, Mercy Olmstead, and Phillip Harmon, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, June 2015.
HS1263/HS1263: Peach Rust (Transchelia spp.) (ufl.edu)


Research of urgent problems and new aspects of contemporary tendencies in architect education of the preservation of cultural heritage in Lithuania has been carried out by the team of Department of Architectural Fundamentals, Theory and Arts, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. Within the framework of the "Sustainable Rehabilitation of the Historic Towns in Europe" (SURE), project funded by EU with the collaboration among the Polish, Italian, Spanish and Lithuanian counterparts, Vilnius team has performed the research on the problems in emerging tendencies in the highest education on the preservation of the cultural heritage in Lithuania. The questionnaires for the opinion pooling were sent to the selected threefold type of the recipients: educational-scientific, public-state, and private-professional (Best Practices Handbook 2017). The research of enquire reflected devastating effect of recent processes of urban planning in Lithuania in the immovable cultural heritage area: neglect of cultural landscape value in urban planning of cities, concern of identity loss and negative impact of globalization, lack of proper maintenance and use of historic buildings. Contrary to these revealed problems plea of recent international strategic documents emphasize variety of ways of contribution of historic areas in bettering of urban life. Lack of ecological approach in urban heritage planning, tension between contents of academic programs and official aims of strategic documents ratified by the State, difference in expectations of theoreticians and practicing urban planners were revealed by the results of completed research. The differences in attitudes of academicians and professionals, i.e. inadequate reflection of urban heritage in urban planning processes, shortcomings in integrating of local communities into preservation processes and academic education of architects were clearly stated. Variety of important issues in relation with protection of cultural heritage and sustainability was unveiled in academic education of architects in Lithuania. Provided questionnaires and collected results of the answers, after the completed analysis of the education programs and expert survey disclosed the shortage of ecological knowledge in the field of cultural heritage protection. Considering revealed problems and needs integration of sustainability and urban heritage preservation should be proposed as one of major target for the improvement of existing educational system of architects in Lithuania. Primarily targets to be hit by the alteration of the situation would be the reduction of the lack of ecological approach in urban heritage planning, diminished tension between contents of academic programs and official aims of strategic documents ratified by State and lowered difference in expectations among the theoreticians and practicing urban planners. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.21.4.19178


Aim: This research paper aims to introduce an insight in to whether events agencies are more polychronic or monochronic focused.
While striving to achieve the main aim, the research will set out to meet the following objectives.

Objectives:
 To assess events agency employees' attitudes towards time management situations
 To identify different perceptions surrounding employee work ethics
 To explore the techniques adopted by employees surrounding workload management

The need for this research to be conducted stemmed from observations from within an events agency organisation. Following personal experiences of working within the situation being discussed, an assumptive need for initial research in to the professional environment became apparent due to the, seemingly, minimal number of similar conducted projects. As will become more evident throughout the research, the concept of polychronicity and monochronicity have been researched throughout the years, with the seminal research surrounding these phenomena mentioned throughout, but the discussion of polychronicity and monochronicity were yet to be mentioned in relation to events management.
With few research papers available for adaptation, the approach to this research was purely exploratory, with the aim of introducing the topic of polychronicity and monochronicity being at the forefront as opposed to producing sound reasoning to support an existing industry problem. Following a mixed method data collection technique, seminal work on polychronic and monochronic self-tests were adapted in order to assess employee attitudes towards time management in relatable situations to agencies. A fresh approach was introduced with a qualitative task, exploring techniques that participant's follow in relation to workload management and giving them free rein to advise their best practice with possibilities to contribute further with additional comments. Harmonising with one another, the results are comparable and aid in meeting the final objective of identifying different perceptions surrounding employee work ethics.

Key findings:
It can be seen from the research discussions that the agency environment can be considered as more polychronic than monochronic. The results are not conclusive enough to confirm whether it is becoming a polychronic-only environment, but they are strong enough to suggest the aim of the research has been met as an introductory relationship between agencies and polychronicity has been discussed with reference to it being more polychronic focused.
Overall, the quantitative results illustrated that the sample was made up of mainly monochrons with an even split falling short by 3%. The polychronicity focus comes from the identification of themes such as working around other people which led to a new concept of forced polychronicity which stemmed from references to "juggling tasks" and literary references of dovetailing due to depending on external parties before completing tasks. Other themes followed the view on the concept of time, whether tangible from monochrons or flexible from polychrons and the discussion surrounding internal policies and agreements put in place between the organisation and the client. Participants also had the opportunity to contribute to the research with their thoughts and beliefs, with responses such as the environment making the "job feel overwhelming" making them feel "stretched out across too many projects at one time" and believing working in this environment is "not a sustainable way to work for long periods".

Limitations:
As the research follows an interpretivist route, the sample size was justified for being small as it allowed for more complex data collection, but the final sample who responded was slightly too small to allow for an in depth and comparative analysis of the results, which also impacted on the representation of the identified categories as they could be deemed as not a fair representation. The final qualitative data collection method, although unique and successful in its own right, did not produce results with the desired depth and would have performed better if following the route of the identified diary method or a more observational method to truly satisfy the qualitative results and gain more input from the respondents themselves. In line with the depth of the results being less than desired, the complexity of the project itself proved greater than originally expected, suggesting this project is better suited when carried out over a longer duration as it would allow for data to be collected on numerous occasions and revisited in order to produce more comparative and reliable results.


Collagen I, a natural protein found in animal tissues, can self-assemble into fibrous matrices
that support cell and tissue growth. Peptide mimics of collagen are able to recapitulate this selfassembly process towards the development of biomaterials for tissue engineering. In recent years,
the metal mediated self-assembly of collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs) has allowed access to
various particle morphologies. Herein, two studies are presented. In the first, NCOH-FOGER, a
cell adhesive CMP capable of metal-triggered self-assembly, was utilized to develop a model
system to mimic natural collagen's interactions with endothelial cells. Notably, a cobalt(III)-
NCoH-FOGER assembly was able to induce endothelial cells to form network-like structures. In
the second, a CMP was modified to include an unnatural amino acid, L-4-trans-fluoroproline,
which increased the thermostability of its folded state. The effect of this substitution on the
morphology of self-assembled particles was evaluated.


We propose a technique to detect lateral misalignment of Laguerre Gaussian(LG) beams via spatial mode projection. We analytically solve the intensity of the misaligned beam projected on two different basis beams--a Gaussian beam and an aligned LG beam with the same topological charge l. We verify the analytical calculations by doing numerical simulations. Results show that the probability amplitudes follow a quadratic behavior for the Gaussian basis beam and a quartic trend for the LG basis beam with respect to increasing lateral misalignment. This study can be applied in determining minute beam displacements such as beamshift measurements.


The flavoenzyme NTR (nitroreductase nfsB from Escherichia coli) and the prodrug CB1954 (5-[aziridin-1-yl]-2,4-dinitrobenzamide) have been found to be a good potential combination for virus-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (VDEPT). However, wild-type NTR has poor kinetics and binding with CB1954, and the mechanism for the reduction of CB1954 by NTR is poorly understood. The aim of this work has been to investigate, using quantum mechanical computational methods, the potential underlying reaction mechanisms so as to identify the order of electron and proton transfers, and source of the protons, that make up the initial reduction step. Additionally, molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics have been used to examine the nature of the active site of the wild-type enzyme, as well as several mutants, and determine possible binding modes of the substrate. Finally, ONIOM calculations were utilised to examine substrate orientations and electronic states at a quantum mechanical level with key active site amino acids present at a molecular mechanics level. Calculations with the MPW1PW91 density functional and 6-31G** basis set yielded a single gas phase transition state geometry for the hydride transfer from the FMN (flavin mononucleotide) cofactor of NTR to a nitro group of CB1954. Additionally, three reaction profiles were generated which suggest that in the gas phase, the reduction proceeds by electron transfer from FMN, proton transfer , then second proton transfer and electron transfer concerted with N-O bond breaking, regardless of the source (FMN or solution) or order of the protons. Molecular mechanics calculations with the FF03 force field found a binding mode with the amide group of CB1954 bound in the active site of NTR—an orientation ideally suited for an electron transfer mechanism.


Objective: The aim of the study is to establish normal values of measurable parameters, set the standard, and provide a framework for future reference. Materials and Methods: A total of 750 children of Malayalam speaking ethnicity with no hair or scalp diseases in anamnesis and clinical examination were included in the study. Children were divided into six age groups (neonates, infants, 1–5, 6–10, 11–14, and 15–17 years), and trichoscopy was performed in frontal, left and right temporal, vertex, crown, and occiput using Wi-Fi cordless digital dermoscope. Hair shaft, follicular opening, and perifollicular and interfollicular area were evaluated and analyzed with SPSS software. Results: Among the parameters analyzed, we observed that with 0.95 probability (95%), the terminal: vellus ratios are (26,29), (22,25), (22,26), (29,33), (25,29), and (19,24) in neonates; (11,14), (7,11), (9,13), (13,17), (12,16), and (7,12) in infants; (16,17), (10,11), (10,11), (16,18), (15,16), and (14,15) in 1–5 years; (17,18), (11), (11), (19,21), (23), and (16,17) in 6–10 years; (17,18), (9,10), (10), (19,20), (18,19), and (16,17) in 11–14 years; and (14,15), (8–9), (8,9), (15,16), (14, 16), and (13,14) in 15–17 years. Likewise, we have documented the various trichoscopic findings of different age groups. Conclusion: We propose the summary of trichoscopic patterns of different age groups with normal hair and scalp to accurately identify the abnormal.


Abstract. The sensitivity of the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) to the estimated vapour pressures of the condensable oxidation products is explored. A highly detailed reaction scheme was generated for α-pinene photooxidation using the Generator for Explicit Chemistry and Kinetics of Organics in the Atmosphere (GECKO-A). Vapour pressures ( P vap ) were estimated with three commonly used structure activity relationships. The values of P vap were compared for the set of secondary species generated by GECKO-A to describe α-pinene oxidation. Discrepancies in the predicted vapour pressures were found to increase with the number of functional groups borne by the species. For semi-volatile organic compounds (i.e. organic species of interest for SOA formation), differences in the predicted P vap range between a factor of 5 to 200 on average. The simulated SOA concentrations were compared to SOA observations in the Caltech chamber during three experiments performed under a range of NO x conditions. While the model captures the qualitative features of SOA formation for the chamber experiments, SOA concentrations are systematically overestimated. For the conditions simulated, the modelled SOA speciation appears to be rather insensitive to the P vap estimation method.


This report examines three text-based conferencing products: WowBB, Invision Power Board, and vBulletin. Their selection was prompted by a feature-by-feature comparison of the same products on the WowBB website. The comparison chart painted a misleading impression of WowBB's features in relation to the other two products; so the evaluation team undertook a more comprehensive and impartial comparison using the categories and criteria for online software evaluation developed by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). The findings are summarised in terms of the softwares' pricing, common features/ functions, and differentiating features.


We study numerically the fractal dimensions and the bulk three-point connectivity for spin clusters of the Q-state Potts model in two dimensions with 1 ≤ Q ≤ 4. We check that the usually invoked correspondence between FK clusters and spin clusters works at the level of fractal dimensions. However, the fine structure of the conformal field theories describing critical clusters first manifests at the level of the three-point connectivities. Contrary to what was recently found for FK clusters, no obvious relation emerges for generic Q between the spin cluster connectivity and the structure constants obtained from analytic continuation of the minimal model constants. The numerical results strongly suggest that spin and FK clusters are described by conformal field theories with different realizations of the color symmetry of the Potts model.


Food safety and security may be improved by using technological innovation. However, hostile consumer reaction to scientific solutions is commonly accompanied. The case analysis of food and environmentally borne Fusarium mycotoxins and illnesses is examined to clarify a situation where the biotechnological tools could be utilized. Fusarium species cause serious economic hardships. The greatest concern is in diseases like Fusarium head blight (FHB) associated with deadly mycotoxins, as well as opportunistic species such as Fusarium solani can directly infect humans, causing serious illness. An evaluation of the risk analysis framework critiques and makes suggested solutions in order to effectively manage the use of biotechnology in sensitive situations, as in the case of Fusarium.


This dissertation describes hardware and software necessary for compiler-controlled power savings in embedded data storage systems. Recent techniques for saving dynamic and static power in specialized SRAM arrays are leveraged to provide port, latency, and sleep configurability. Using advanced interprocedural pointer analysis to provide complete resolution of potential memory accesses, the compiler chooses a power-saving configuration for each program data object. Data objects are then grouped according to the number of needed ports and desired access latency.
Both the hardware and software design of configurable SRAM was driven by a data intent characterization of telecommunication and media applications. This characterization is described, along with description of its application to other methods for power savings in embedded systems.
For configurable SRAM, data storage savings in the range of 29% static power and 6% dynamic power are achieved without sacrificing code performance. When slight performance degradation can be tolerated, the compiler uses profile feedback to realize an average of 51.7% static and 9.4% dynamic power reduction.


Three functionalized derivatives of tetraphenylethylene (TPE), namely, 1,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,2-diphenylethene (1), 1,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2-diphenylethene (2), and 1,2-bis[4-(3-sulfonatopropoxyl)phenyl]-1,2-diphenylethene sodium salt (3), were synthesized and their fluorescence properties were investigated. All the TPE molecules are nonluminescent in the solution state but are induced to emit efficiently by aggregate formation. This novel process of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is rationalized to be caused by the restriction of intramolecular rotations of the dye molecules in the aggregate state. The possibility of utilizing the AIE effect for protein detection and quantification is explored using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein, with salt 3 being found to perform as a stable, sensitive, and selective bioprobe.


The outer Western Crimean Shelf of the Black Sea is a natural laboratory to investigate effects of stable oxic vs. varying hypoxic conditions on seafloor biogeochemical processes and benthic community structure. Bottom water oxygen concentrations varied between normoxic (175 μmol O2L −1) and hypoxic (<63 μmol O2L −1) or even anoxic/sulfidic conditions within a few kilometres distance. Variations in oxygen concentrations between 160 and 10 μmol L−1 even occurred within hours close to the chemocline at 134 m water depth. Total oxygen uptake, including diffusive as well as fauna-mediated oxygen consumption, decreased from >15 mmol m−2 d−1 in the oxic zone to <9 mmol m d in the hypoxic zone, correlating with changes in macrobenthos composition. Benthic diffusive oxygen uptake rates, comprising microbial respiration plus reoxidation of inorganic products, were around 4.5 mmol m−2 d−1, but declined to 1.3 mmol m−2 d−1 at oxygen concentrations below 20 μmol L−1. Measurements and modelling of pore water profiles indicated that reoxidation of reduced compounds played only a minor role in the diffusive oxygen uptake, leaving the major fraction to aerobic degradation of organic carbon. Remineralization efficiency decreased from 100% in the oxic zone, to 50% in the oxic-hypoxic, to 10% in the hypoxic-anoxic zone. Overall the faunal remineralization rate was more important, but also more influenced by fluctuating oxygen concentrations than microbial and geochemical oxidation processes.


A stochastic model for fatigue crack growth and final fracture of TLP tethers is formulated. Model updating through in-service inspection is included. The integrity of the cracked tether is evaluated by the R6 assessment procedure. Considered strategies for ensuring tether reliability include regular inspections and leak-before-break criteria. For the example, it is found that the sensitivity of an ultrasonic inspection method may be able to increase the reliability significantly if multiple inspections are performed. For a leak-before-break strategy, it is shown that the probability of final fracture during the repair period is greatly increased by model updating conditioned on the event of a leak.


Prostate specific antigen (PSA) remains the most used biomarker in the management of early prostate cancer (PCa), in spite of the problems related to false positive results and overdiagnosis. New biomarkers have been proposed in recent years with the aim of increasing specificity and distinguishing aggressive from non-aggressive PCa. The emerging role of the prostate health index and the 4Kscore is reviewed in this article. Both are blood-based tests related to the aggressiveness of the tumor, which provide the risk of suffering PCa and avoiding negative biopsies. Furthermore, the use of urine has emerged as a non-invasive way to identify new biomarkers in recent years, including the PCA3 and TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene. Available results about the PCA3 score showed its usefulness to decide the repetition of biopsy in patients with a previous negative result, although its relationship with the aggressiveness of the tumor is controversial. More recently, aberrant microRNA expression in PCa has been reported by different authors. Preliminary results suggest the utility of circulating and urinary microRNAs in the detection and prognosis of PCa. Although several of these new biomarkers have been recommended by different guidelines, large prospective and comparative studies are necessary to establish their value in PCa detection and prognosis.


Abstract. While the eddy covariance technique has become an important technique for estimating long-term ecosystem carbon balance, under certain conditions the measured turbulent flux of CO2 at a given height above an ecosystem does not represent the true surface flux. Profile systems have been deployed to measure periodic storage of CO2 below the measurement height, but have not been widely adopted. This is most likely due to the additional expense and complexity and possibly also the perception, given that net storage over intervals exceeding 24 h is generally negligible, that these measurements are not particularly important. In this study, we used a 3-year record of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 and simultaneous measurements of CO2 storage to ascertain the relative contributions of turbulent CO2 flux, storage, and advection (calculated as a residual quantity) to the nocturnal CO2 balance and to quantify the effect of neglecting storage. The conditions at the site are in relative terms highly favourable for eddy covariance measurements, yet we found a substantial contribution (∼ 40 %) of advection to nocturnal turbulent flux underestimation. The most likely mechanism for advection is cooling-induced drainage flows, the effects of which were observed in the storage measurements. The remaining ∼ 60 % of flux underestimation was due to storage of CO2. We also showed that substantial underestimation of carbon uptake (approximately 80 gC m−2 a−1, or 25 % of annual carbon uptake) arose when standard methods (u∗ filtering) of nocturnal flux correction were implemented in the absence of storage estimates. These biases were reduced to approximately 40–45 gC m−2 a−1 when the filter was applied over the entire diel period, but they were nonetheless large relative to quantifiable uncertainties in the data. Neglect of storage also distorted the relationships between the CO2 exchange processes (respiration and photosynthesis) and their key controls (light and temperature respectively). We conclude that the addition of storage measurements to eddy covariance sites with all but the lowest measurement heights should be a high priority for the flux measurement community.


We use three-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations to study the effects of magnetic fields on the energy transport and structure of radiation pressure–dominated main sequence massive star envelopes at the region of the iron opacity peak. We focus on the regime where the local thermal timescale is shorter than the dynamical timescale, corresponding to inefficient convective energy transport. We begin with initially weak magnetic fields relative to the thermal pressure, from 100 to 1000 G in differing geometries. The unstable density inversion amplifies the magnetic field, increasing the magnetic energy density to values close to equipartition with the turbulent kinetic energy density. By providing pressure support, the magnetic field's presence significantly increases the density fluctuations in the turbulent envelope, thereby enhancing the radiative energy transport by allowing photons to diffuse out through low-density regions. Magnetic buoyancy brings small-scale magnetic fields to the photosphere and increases the vertical energy transport, with the energy advection velocity proportional to the Alfvén velocity, although in all cases we study, photon diffusion still dominates the energy transport. The increased radiative and advective energy transport causes the stellar envelope to shrink by several scale heights. We also find larger turbulent velocity fluctuations compared with the purely hydrodynamic case, reaching at the stellar photosphere. The photosphere also shows vertical oscillations with similar averaged velocities and periods of a few hours. The increased turbulent velocity and oscillations will have strong impacts on the line broadening and periodic signals in massive stars.


Power density has become increasingly important for applications where weight and space are limited. Power density is a unique challenge requiring the latest transistor technology to push switching frequency to shrink passive filter size. Furthermore, while high efficiency is an important thermal handling strategy, it must be weighed against increases in component size. Google's Little Box Challenge shone light on these challenges in pushing the power density of a 2kW inverter. The rise in electric vehicle infrastructure and demand represents a unique application for power electronics: pushing the power handling capability and functionality of bidirectional, on-board electric vehicle chargers for faster charging while simultaneously shrinking them in size. New wide-bandgap (WBG) devices, combined with soft-switching, now allow inverters to shrink in size by pushing to higher switching frequencies while maintaining efficiency. Classic H-Bridge topologies have limited switching frequency due to hard switching. Soft switching allows inverters to operate at higher frequency while minimizing switching loss. Concurrently, interleaving can reduce current handling stress and conduction loss better than simply paralleling two transistors. A novel interleaved auxiliary resonant snubber for high-frequency soft-switching is introduced. The design of an auxiliary resonant snubber is discussed; this allows the main GaN MOSFETs to achieve zero voltage switching (ZVS). The auxiliary switches and SiC diodes achieve zero current switching (ZCS). This soft-switching strategy can be applied to any modulation scheme. Here, it is applied to an asymmetrical unipolar H-bridge with two high frequency legs interleaved. While soft-switching minimizes switching loss, conduction loss is simultaneously reduced for high-power applications by interleaving two high frequency legs. This topology is chosen for its conduction loss reduction and bi-directional capability. Soft-Switching, Interleaved Inverter for High Density Applications