Anisotropic Magneto-Thermopower: the Contribution of Interband Relaxation

Spin injection in metallic normal/ferromagnetic junctions is investigated taking into account the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) occurring in the ferromagnetic layer. It is shown, on the basis of a generalized two channel model, that there is an interface resistance contribution due to anisotropic scattering, beyond spin accumulation and giant magnetoresistance (GMR). The corresponding expression of the thermopower is derived and compared with the expression for the thermopower produced by the GMR. First measurements of anisotropic magnetothermopower are presented in electrodeposited Ni nanowires contacted with Ni, Au and Cu. The results of this study show that while the giant magnetoresistance and corresponding thermopower demonstrates the role of spin-flip scattering, the observed anisotropic magnetothermopower indicates interband s-d relaxation mechanisms.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure

Der Roman als Schlachtfeld der Islaminterpretationen. Die Funktion des Islam in Feridun Zaimoglus Leyla

Although modern Germany is a multicultural and multireligious society, a fact reflected by the growing number of works on the lives of migrants to Germany by authors from non-German backgrounds, it is still difficult to find much scholarly study of the role of Islam in these works. Since 9/11 Islam has become a prime theme of German public discourse, yet still its presence as a topic of study in Germanistik remains rare. In an effort to provide a partial rectification of this situation this thesis examines Feridun Zaimoglu’s novel Leyla (2006) and the role that Islam plays in the story. One of the most well-known Turkish-German authors writing today, Feridun Zaimoglu has been in the public eye since the appearance of his first book Kanak Sprak – 24 Mißtöne vom Rande der Gesellschaft (1995). Zaimoglu’s writings often focus on the lives of Turkish migrants and their children in Germany, yet Leyla is set completely in 1950s Turkey. The story follows the title figure as she grows up in a small Anatolian village which she eventually leaves for Istanbul and, at the very end of the novel, for Germany. Oppressed for most of her life by an abusive father, Leyla learns to chart her own course between traditional values and expectations and a more independent lifestyle. The thesis first establishes Islam’s heterogeneous character. Two perspectives of Islam, a patriarchal-traditional Islam and an enlightened Islam, are put forward as analytical frameworks for a nuanced interpretation of this complex novel. By applying the concept of the personal or inner jihad to the novel it is possible to establish that the novel presents a variety of versions or ways of Islam that are considered and confronted by the protagonist, and that this development on her part embodies the essential conflicts of the story. Leyla, who suffers from the oppression of a patriarchal form of Islam that has dominated the lives of her mother and siblings, gradually turns towards a more enlightened form of Islam that nevertheless retains features of traditional belief. The thesis contends that the novel’s complex exposition of Turkish society in the 1950s can be better understood when the novel’s relationship to the discourses of Islam are taken into account and employed as interpretive aids

La Malakoplakie Rétropéritonéale Pseudotumorale

La malakoplakie est une maladie inflammatoire granulomateuse chronique, qui affecte généralement le tractus génito-urinair e et moins fréquemment les autres sites tels que le rétropéritoine et le tractus gastro- intestinal. L’origine infectieuse associée à un déficit dans la digestion macrophagique des bactéries est la théorie physiopathologique la plus soutenue. Sa définition est anatomopathologique. Les auteurs rapportent un cas de malakoplakie rétropéritonéale pseudotumorale chez un patient sous corticothérapie au long cours admis aux urgences pour une masse douloureuse et fébrile du flanc gauche. Les explorations radiologiques étaient en faveur d’une collection abcédée nécessitant un drainage chirurgical en urgence. L’examen histologique des prélèvements réalisés au niveau de la graisse rétropéritonéale révélait une inflammation granulomateuse faite d’histiocytes dénommés cellules de Von Hansemann, renfermant des granulations pathognomoniques de Michaelis-Gutmann. Le patient a été mis sous traitement médical à base de ciprofloxacine avec bonne évolution clinique et radiologique.Mots clés : Malakoplakie; Michaelis-Gutmann; Rétropéritoine

Cantharidin Poisoning due to Blister Beetle Ingestion in Children : Two case reports and a review of clinical presentations

Cantharidin is an intoxicant found in beetles in the Meloidae (Coleoptera) family. Ingestion may result in haematemesis, impaired level of consciousness, electrolyte disturbance, haematurea and renal impairment. Here, we report two paediatric cases of meloid beetle ingestion resulting in cantharidin poisoning and the clinical presentation of the ensuing intoxication

The Influence of Coalition Formation on Idea Selection in Dispersed Teams: A Game Theoretic Approach

Sie, R. L. L., Bitter-Rijpkema, M., & Sloep, P. B. (2009). The Influence of Coalition Formation on Idea Selection in Dispersed Teams: A Game Theoretic Approach. In U. Cress, V. Dimitrova & M. Specht (Eds.), Learning in the Synergy of Multiple Disciplines. Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Technology-Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2009) (pp. 732-737). September, 29 - October, 2, 2009, Nice, France. Lecture Notes in Computer Science Vol. 5794. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.In an open innovation environment, organizational learning takes place by means of dispersed teams which expand their knowledge through collaborative idea generation. Research is often focused on finding ways to extend the set of ideas, while the main problem in our opinion is not the number of ideas that is generated, but a non-optimal set of ideas accepted during idea selection. When selecting ideas, coalitions form and their composition may influence the resulting set of accepted ideas. We expect that computing coalitional strength during idea selection will help in forming the right teams to have a grand coalition, or having a better allocation of accepted ideas, or neutralising factors that adversely influence the decision making process. Based on a literature survey, this paper proposes the application of the Shapley value and the nucleolus to compute coalitional strength in order to enhance the group decision making process during collaborative idea selection. This document does not represent the opinion of the European Union, and the European Union is not responsible for any use that might be made of its content.The idSpace project is partially supported/co-funded by the European Union under the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) theme of the 7th Framework Programme for R&

Renal oncocytoma: experience of Clinical Urology A, Urology Department, CHU Ibn Sina, Rabat, Morocco and literature review

Renal oncocytoma is a rare and benign renal tumor. Only few cases have been reported in Moroccan populations. In the present study, we reportour experiences in the diagnosis, management and follow-up of this disease. We report on six cases of renal oncocytoma indentified between 1990 and 2008 in the urology department of “CHU Ibn Sina” in Rabat. These six cases are listed among 130 kidney tumors reported during the study period. We assess the clinical, radiological and therapeutic features of the patients and we review literature. Six cases of renal oncocytoma,representing 4.6% of all primitive kidney tumors treated in our institution during the study period. The mean age was 53 ±9.7 years (range 34 to61 years). One patient was asymptomatic at presentation, five patients (83%) had flank pain and two (33%) had macroscopic hematuria. Thetumor was right sided in 4 cases (66%) and left sided in 2 cases (33%). All patients underwent CT scan which showed, in three cases, a centrallylocated stellate area of low attenuation. The clinical suspicion of  oncocytoma was made preoperatively in only 3 patients by imaging studies, but the suspicion of renal cell carcinoma persist and all patients were treated with radical nephrectomy. Definitive diagnosis was made in all cases postoperatively. All the tumors were well circumscribed but unencapsulated. The mean tumor size was 8,75±2,04 cm. Four patients were classified at stage pT2 and two at stage p T1. Most of the pathological features in our patients were typical of this entity.  Predominant cell type was a typical oncocytoma with general low mitotic activity. No extension to peri-nephric fat tissue or lymphovascular invasion was observed. After a mean follow-up of 36 months (range 26-62 months), there was neither recurrence nor death from oncocytoma. Accordingly, the disease-specific survival was 100%. Renal oncocytoma has a benign clinical course with excellent long-term outcomes. In our series, it happened mostly in females and is more frequently symptomatic. Although radical nephrectomy is the usual treatment, a conservative approach should be considered whenever there are signs of clinical and radiological presumptions.Key words: Renal oncocytoma, tumor, diagnosis, treatmen

Migration Intravésicale du Dispositif Intra-Utérin à Propos de Cinq Cas

La migration intravésicale du dispositif intra-utérin (DIU) par perforation utérine est une complication rare. Dans cette étude rétrospective monocentrique, nous présentons notre expérience de 5 cas colligés au sein de notre établissement entre 2004 et 2009. L’âge moyen de nos patientes est de 39 ans (32-48 ans). La symptomatologie clinique révélatrice était dominée par le syndrome irritatif vésical. Le diagnostic a été évoqué sur le couple écho/AUSP, puis confirmé par la cystoscopie. Le traitement a consisté en une lithotritie balistique du calcul avec extraction du stérilet par voie endoscopique chez 4 patientes et extraction chirurgicale chez une seule.Mots clés : Calcul vésical, dispositif intra-utérin, lithotritie balistique, migration

Séminome Spermatocytaire: à Propos d’un Cas et Revue de La Littérature Spermatocytic Seminoma

Le séminome spermatocytaire est une tumeur rare, représentant moins de 2% des cancers du testicule, survenant essentiellement chez le sujet âgé. Nous rapportons une nouvelle observation d’un patient âgé de 48 ans. La tumeur se présentait comme une prolifération de cellules en nappescompactes, avec 3 types cellulaires, des cellules de petite taille, des cellules intermédiaires et des grandes cellules. Il n’a été retrouvé ni contingent sarcomateux, ni séminome classique. L’analyse en immun histochimie n’a retrouvé aucune expression des cellules tumorales pour les anticorpsclassiques testés, notamment l’Ac anti PLAP et les marqueurs lymphoïdes. Le séminome spermatocytaire doit être reconnu, car son évolution est très favorable et ne nécessite qu’une simple orchidectomie, en l’absence d’un exceptionnel contingent sarcomateux ou de métastase où une chimiothérapie s’impose

What factors influence the rediscovery of lost tetrapod species?

We created a database of lost and rediscovered tetrapod species, identified patterns in their distribution and factors influencing rediscovery. Tetrapod species are being lost at a faster rate than they are being rediscovered, due to slowing rates of rediscovery for amphibians, birds and mammals, and rapid rates of loss for reptiles. Finding lost species and preventing future losses should therefore be a conservation priority. By comparing the taxonomic and spatial distribution of lost and rediscovered tetrapod species, we have identified regions and taxa with many lost species in comparison to those that have been rediscovered—our results may help to prioritise search effort to find them. By identifying factors that influence rediscovery, we have improved our ability to broadly distinguish the types of species that are likely to be found from those that are not (because they are likely to be extinct). Some lost species, particularly those that are small and perceived to be uncharismatic, may have been neglected in terms of conservation effort, and other lost species may be hard to find due to their intrinsic characteristics and the characteristics of the environments they occupy (e.g. nocturnal species, fossorial species and species occupying habitats that are more difficult to survey such as wetlands). These lost species may genuinely await rediscovery. However, other lost species that possess characteristics associated with rediscovery (e.g. large species) and that are also associated with factors that negatively influence rediscovery (e.g. those occupying small islands) are more likely to be extinct. Our results may foster pragmatic search protocols that prioritise lost species likely to still exist