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The 87th Annual Meeting of the Israel Chemical Society took place in April 2024 at Tel Aviv University. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in the Gaza Strip, the meeting was condensed to one day. The event included lectures, a poster session, a commercial exhibition, and various other activities. The text covers a wide range of scientific topics, including imaging metabolites, molecular crystals, RNA sensors for cancer diagnostics, catalytic reactions, and more. It also discusses energy technologies, electrocatalysis, and the use of metal-organic frameworks. The text concludes with a description of the 2022 ICS Prize Ceremony, where individuals were recognized for their contributions to chemistry. The awards cover various areas of chemistry and highlight the diverse achievements of individuals in Israel. [Extracted from the article]

Local anesthetic injections are an essential tool in dentistry, particularly in pediatric dentistry. The needle penetrating the tissue can cause stress, anxiety, and pain. Studies have shown that using touch may alleviate pain and reduce patient anxiety. Yet, this has not been tested in pediatric dental patients. Therefore, this study examined the effect of hand-holding on children undergoing local anesthetic injections. Its effect on children's pain perception was tested, with the hypothesis that pain perception would be lower for children whose hand was held by an assistant. Additionally, the study examined whether hand-holding would affect children's anxiety levels and cooperation. Fifty-five children, who underwent dental treatment within the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Tel Aviv University, were recruited. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. In the study group, the assistant gently placed her hand on the patient's hand during the anesthetic injection. In the control group, the same treatment was performed without the hand being placed by the assistant. After the anesthetic injection, the child's pain and anxiety levels were assessed using visual analog scales (VAS). The patients' pulse was measured. The level of cooperation was evaluated using the "Frankl" scale. Interestingly, although the trends aligned with this study's hypotheses, no significant effect of hand-holding on pain, anxiety, or cooperation during anesthetic injections was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here are some highlights: Discovering that brain nerve cell skeletal proteins are part of the synapse (Gozes & Littauer, [8]; Gozes & Sweadner, [12]; Zisapel et al., [26]). We at EJN are proud to introduce Dr. Illana Gozes as the next scientist for our series of Women in Neuroscience. We were first to show specific gene directed brain protein synthesis (Gozes et al., [10]; Gozes et al., [13]) and to clone the gene coding for the major regulatory neuropeptide - brain "hormone" VIP (Bodner et al., [3]). Discovering that ADNP is prone to mutations in cancer (Zamostiano et al., [25]), now found to be mutated de novo in autism (Gozes et al., [7]; Malishkevich et al., [21]), somatically mutated in the Alzheimer's disease brain paralleling brain pathology (Ivashko-Pachima et al., [17]), as well as serving as a biomarker for schizophrenia (Merenlender-Wagner et al., [23]). [Extracted from the article]

Concentrated interest groups have a significant advantage over diffuse interest groups: they can effectively stop free riding among their members. Because of this advantage, concentrated interest groups work in unison and manage to capture the government in many democracies. Democratic mechanisms of separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and the rule of law are designed to prevent the capture of government by concentrated interests. Under certain conditions, these mechanisms make it possible for diffuse interests to have a fair share of the influence over the government. Populist ideologists doubt that claim, however. They are convinced that democracies are captured by a small elite that controls most of the political power. The declared aim of populists is to give political power back to the majority of society. Despite that declared aim, this Article argues that the actions taken by populists have exactly the opposite outcome. By downgrading democratic mechanisms that constrain the government, populists end up making it easier for concentrated interests to capture the government and take advantage of diffuse groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2013–2017 Yosef Garfinkel and his colleagues conducted excavations at the northern side of Tel Lachish/Tell ed-Duweir. Their conclusions regarding the character and date of the site's fortifications, and their conclusions regarding the date of Palace C, the last stage of the Palace–Fort, radically differ from the conclusions of the British excavations headed by James Starkey and the renewed excavations of Tel Aviv University headed by me. The interpretations and dates made by Garfinkel and his colleagues regarding the fortifications and the Palace-Fort (Palace C) cannot be accepted. The fortifications uncovered by them on the northern side fit what was known before about the fortifications and their date in other parts of the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Association of Law and Economics (EALE) grants a biennial Lifetime Achievement Award and Honorary Membership to a scholar "for his or her significant contributions to the field of Law and Economics, in particular to the development of this scientific movement in Europe." Ariel Porat was the recipient of the EALE award in 2020. As per tradition, the recipient of the award is asked to deliver the EALE Award Lecture the year after the announcement of the prize—an event that, due to the pandemic, was postponed until the 2022 EALE Annual Meeting, which was held in Lisbon (Portugal), on September 15, 2022. The award lecture will be published in the Review of Law & Economics, following these remarks on Ariel Porat's significant contributions to the field of law and economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous study suggested that fixed dental prostheses (crowns) increase oral malodor production. There might be a role to temporary acrylic crowns contributing to oral malodor. In the current study, we analyzed the microbiome associated with malodorous temporary dental crowns. The study population comprised nineteen patients (mean age 45.8 ± 10.9, 8 females) who visited the Tel Aviv University dental clinic. Temporary crowns were scored by an odor judge using a 6-point malodor organoleptic scale (0–5) and temporary crowns that were scored 2 and above were assigned as malodor positive. Microbial DNA was extracted from the temporary dental crowns and analyzed using next generation 16S rDNA sequencing. Taxa identified could be classified into 11 phyla, 50 genera and 119 core species. Malodor positive samples demonstrated higher abundance of the phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria and the genera Tannerella, Alloprevotella, Treponema, Olsenella and Bifidobacterium. Malodorous samples showed higher bacterial diversity and significant differences in microbial population. Taken together these results suggest a difference between the microbial populations of malodorous and non-malodorous temporary dental crowns both in composition and diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network models of anatomical connections allow for the extraction of quantitative features describing brain organization, and their comparison across brains from different species. Such comparisons can inform our understanding of between-species differences in brain architecture and can be compared to existing taxonomies and phylogenies. Here we performed a quantitative comparative analysis using the MaMI database (Tel Aviv University), a collection of brain networks reconstructed from ex vivo diffusion MRI spanning 125 species and 12 taxonomic orders or superorders. We used a broad range of metrics to measure between-mammal distances and compare these estimates to the separation of species as derived from taxonomy and phylogeny. We found that within-taxonomy order network distances are significantly closer than between-taxonomy network distances, and this relation holds for several measures of network distance. Furthermore, to estimate the evolutionary divergence between species, we obtained phylogenetic distances across 10,000 plausible phylogenetic trees. The anatomical network distances were rank-correlated with phylogenetic distances 10,000 times, creating a distribution of coefficients that demonstrate significantly positive correlations between network and phylogenetic distances. Collectively, these analyses demonstrate species-level organization across scales and informational sources: we relate brain networks distances, derived from MRI, with evolutionary distances, derived from genotyping data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: tooth agenesis is a very common dental anomaly of the human dentition most often affecting the maxillary anterior region, mandibular and maxillary premolar regions. (2) Purpose: the present study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence and patterns between bilateral and unilateral tooth agenesis among orthodontic individuals and to illustrate the treatment options for missing teeth and the outcome. (3) Materials and methods: Pre-treatment records, photographs and radiographs, of 3000 consecutively treated orthodontic individuals from the post-graduate clinic of Tel Aviv University were surveyed to detect permanent tooth agenesis in either dental arch. The data was recorded according to gender, and location and quantified between unilateral and bilateral agenesis. Descriptive and comparative statistical analysis were performed with t-test and Chi-square test (p < 0.05). (4) Results: permanent teeth agenesis, excluding third molars, was found in 326 individuals (11%), 139 males (43%) and 187 females (57%). Of them, 59% were missing in the maxilla and (41%) were missing in the mandible. A higher prevalence rate of bilateral missing lateral incisors in the maxilla (62 cases), followed by bilateral missing second premolars in the mandible (44 cases) compared with unilateral missing teeth. (5) Conclusions: this study found an overall prevalence of missing permanent teeth in orthodontic patients to be 11%. The female: male prevalence ratio was roughly 3:2, with a greater tendency in the maxilla than in the mandible. A higher prevalence of bilateral missing maxillary lateral incisors and mandibular second premolar than unilateral missing teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the remains that were retrieved during a rescue excavation conducted on the Early Bronze Age mound at Tel Lod, Israel during August-September 2009. Topics covered include a brief background on the previous excavations made at the site, the descriptions of the seven occupation strata that were identified during the excavation, and findings at the site which indicate an intensive settlement in this area during the Early Bronze Age.

The article discusses the results of the examination of the flint assemblage that was retrieved during a rescue excavation conducted on the Early Bronze Age mound at Tel Lod, Israel during August-September 2009. Topics covered include the methods used in evaluating the assemblage, the two types of raw materials that comprised the flint as well as most frequent component of all lithic assemblages, and elements from two main flint industries that comprised the assemblage.

There is a tendency for syncretism between future and infinitive stems in Modern Hebrew. Verbs with final orthographic gutturals do not follow this trend in one verbal type. In another, they do follow it, but their exponent is different from that of regular verbs. Previous studies have claimed that (i) gutturals are represented in Modern Hebrew as a vowel /a/ (Faust, Noam. 2005. The fate of gutturals in Modern Hebrew. Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University MA Thesis); (ii) Infinitives are derived in two cycles (Faust, Noam & Vered Silber-Varod. 2014. Distributed Morphology and prosody: The case of prepositions. In Burit Melnik (ed.), Proceedings of IATL29 (MITWPL 72), 71–92. Cambridge (MA): MIT Press); and (iii) stems seek to be no shorter than two syllables (e.g. Bat-El, Outi. 2003. The fate of the consonantal root and the binyan in Optimality Theory. Recherches Linguistiques de Vincennes 32. 31–60.). Relying on these claims, an analysis is proposed involving two allomorphs with a priority relation. Phonological considerations of multiple correspondence, word size and cyclicity may nevertheless override the effect of priority, leading to the selection of the non-default allomorph. In the last section I briefly discuss two alternatives to the priority relation: the autosegmental alternative and the gradient alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. For this purpose Scopus database was used. As of 13th May 2021, one hundred and seventy-three (n=173) research documents are published about it. We used Vosviewer and Biblioshiny (Bibliometrix) in the present report. In all publications, 1160 authors have significantly contributed. The documents per author was 0.119, while authors per document was 8.41. Collaborative Index (CI) was found to be 9.47. By biblioshiny we also applied Lotka’s law to depict the author's frequency. 1097 authors were involved in only one (n=1) publication. Based on the Scopus record, the highest documents are published by Dormitzer, P.R. (n=6). In universities and countries categories, Tel Aviv University (n=7) and USA (48) are the most productive. By Vosviewer the collaboration pattern among authors, institutes, and countries is graphically presented. For example, 28 authors, 17 departments and 7 countries directly contributed to one publication. The research documents (133) are published in 102 sources or journals. The highest documents are published in Vaccines (n=8), while the highest citations were recorded for the New England Journal of Medicine (n=838). We also applied co-words analysis to understand the main focus of these publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how production in the 21st century is changing the way that cities are evolving from a consumption-based society. Topics discussed include new architectural engagement for a social–technocratic–economic shift that addresses a socially equitable urban model; decentralisation of economies and entrepreneurial power from hyperconnected ‘smart' industry era of the 21st century; and architecture to reflect on mass-production and mass customisation for a mass urbanised world.

Laboratory X‐ray diffractometers play a crucial role in X‐ray crystallography and materials science. Such instruments still vastly outnumber synchrotron facilities and are responsible for most of the X‐ray characterization of materials around the world. The efforts to enhance the design and performance of in‐house X‐ray diffraction instruments benefit a broad research community. Here, the realization of a custom‐built multipurpose four‐circle diffractometer in the laboratory for X‐ray crystallography of functional materials at Tel Aviv University, Israel, is reported. The instrument is equipped with a microfocus Cu‐based X‐ray source, collimating X‐ray optics, four‐bounce monochromator, four‐circle goniometer, large (PILATUS3 R 1M) pixel area detector, analyser crystal and scintillating counter. It is suitable for a broad range of tasks in X‐ray crystallography/structure analysis and materials science. All the relevant X‐ray beam parameters (total flux, flux density, beam divergence, monochromaticity) are reported and several applications such as determination of the crystal orientation matrix and high‐resolution reciprocal‐space mapping are demonstrated. The diffractometer is suitable for measuring X‐ray diffraction in situ under an external electric field, as demonstrated by the measurement of electric‐field‐dependent rocking curves of a quartz single crystal. The diffractometer can be used as an independent research instrument, but also as a training platform and for preparation for synchrotron experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; 2Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; 3DeepVision Lab (3), Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; 4Department of Gastroenterology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, IsraelCorrespondence: Adi LahatDepartment of Gastroenterology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, IsraelEmail [email protected] Background and Aim: Endoscopic differentiation between malignant and benign gastric ulcers (GU) affects further evaluation and prognosis. The aim of our study was to evaluate a deep learning algorithm for discrimination between benign and malignant GU in a database of endoscopic ulcer images. Methods: We retrospectively collected consecutive upper gastrointestinal endoscopy images of GU performed between 2011 and 2019 at the Sheba Medical Center. All ulcers had a corresponding histopathology result of either benign peptic ulcer or gastric adenocarcinoma. A convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained to classify the images into either benign or malignant. Endoscopies from 2011 to 2017 were used for training (2011– 2015) and validation (2016– 2017). Hyper-parameters, image augmentation and pre-training on Google images obtained images were evaluated on the validation data. Held-out data from 2018 to 2019 was used for testing the final model. Results: Overall, the Sheba dataset included 1978 GU images; 1894 images from benign GU and 84 images of malignant ulcers. The final CNN model showed an AUC 0.91 (95% CI 0.85– 0.96) for detecting malignant ulcers. For cut-off probability 0.5, the network showed a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 75% for malignant ulcers. Conclusion: Our study displays the applicability of a CNN model for automated evaluation of gastric ulcers images for malignant potential. Following further research, the algorithm may improve accuracy of differentiating benign from malignant ulcers during endoscopies and assist in patients' stratification, allowing accelerated patients management and individualized approach towards surveillance endoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Takayasu's arteritis (TA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are chronic inflammatory granulomatous disorders that have rarely been concomitantly reported in case reports and small case series. Objective. We report a series of seven cases of TA and IBD association in two referral centers with a comprehensive review of literature. Methods. We analyzed retrospectively the electronic medical charts of TA-IBD patients at the University Hospital of São Paulo, Brazil, and at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Aviv University, Israel. Results. Overall, five patients had Crohn's disease (DC) and two had ulcerative colitis (UC), and they were mostly female and non-Asian. All patients developed IBD first and, subsequently, TA. Two underwent colectomy and one ileocecectomy due to IBD activity, while three required cardiovascular surgery due to TA activity. Most patients are currently in clinical remission of both diseases with conventional drug treatment. Conclusion. Although the coexistence of TA and IBD is uncommon, both seem to be strongly associated through pathophysiological pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objective: Childhood epilepsy is one of the disease groups with the highest disease burden in society. This study aimed to guide researchers for new studies by determining the most compelling studies and current issues through a bibliometric analysis of scientific outputs about childhood epilepsy between 1980 and 2018. Methods: The literature review was conducted using the Web of Science (WoS) database. Epilepsy and status epilepticus were used as search keywords in WoS, and the search was performed only in the title section of the publications. Only publications in the research field of pediatrics were included in the study and were analyzed bibliometrically. Linear regression analysis was used to estimate the number of publications in the coming years. Results: It was seen that the number of articles on pediatric epilepsy has been increasing with a linear trend. A total of 3424 publications were found. Of these publications, 2197 (64.2%) articles were analyzed bibliometrically. The top two most productive countries were the USA(654) and Italy (199). The first two most active institutions were The Hospital for Sick Children (40, 1.8%) and Tel Aviv University (38, 1.7%). The top three journals that published the most were Journal of Child Neurology (422, 19.2%), Pediatric Neurology (335, 15.2%), and Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology (201, 9.1%). Conclusion: In this bibliometric study on childhood epilepsies, a data summary of 2197 articles published between 1980 and 2018 is presented. We hope that this article will be a useful literature review and guide researchers working on pediatric epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex estimation of skeletal remains is of great importance in the fields of physical and forensic anthropology. Since skeletons are often incomplete, it is essential to estimate sex from as many skeletal remains as possible. The aim of this study was to establish new methods for estimating sex using the morphology of the sternum and the fifth to ninth ribs. We considered two conditions of skeletal preservation: All skeletal elements measured are available, or only a single element is available. Traditional or virtual measurements were carried out on three samples: (1) A skeletal sample from the Hamann-Todd Human osteological collection, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, USA (N = 413), was used to create prediction equations for sex estimation. (2) A recent, CT-based sample from Israel (N = 33) was used to cross-validate the accuracy of the prediction equations. (3) A skeletal sample from the Anthropological Collection at Tel Aviv University (N = 15) was used to test the validity of the virtual measurements. Reliability and validity analyses were carried out via intraclass correlation coefficient analysis. Prediction equations for sex were created using logistic regression. The measurements were found to be highly reliable and valid. Success rates for sex estimation were high (> 80%) and correspond well between the skeletal and recent samples, especially for the left sixth, left eigth, and left ninth ribs. To conclude, measurements of the sternum and ribs are valuable for estimating sex and can be carried out using either traditional or virtual tools. Of all the skeletal elements examined in this study, the sternum, left sixth, left eighth, and left ninth ribs were found to be the most reliable skeletal elements for estimating the sex of an individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aim Shirin11The Gonczarowski Family Institute of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; 2The Microbiology Laboratory, Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; 3Department of Gastroenterology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel; Bruce Rappaport School of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, IsraelCorrespondence: Haim ShirinThe Gonczarowski Family Institute of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center, Zerifin 7033001, IsraelTel +972-8-9779722Fax +972-8-9779727Email haim_shirin@yahoo.com Objective: Different infectious agents have been presumed to be candidates acting as an etiologic factor or trigger of Crohn's disease (CD). Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a common human infection agent that can also trigger post-infectious immune-mediated conditions. The current study aimed to examine whether the immunogenic activity induced by GAS may trigger new-onset of CD. Methods: Data for antistreptolysin O (ASO) level, throat culture for GAS, and history of streptococcal infection were collected from 91 patients with CD that were divided into three groups including; new-onset CD, CD in remission and active CD. The data were compared with the control group. Results: All participants had negative results of throat culture for GAS and had no history of documented streptococcal infection in the past year. Our results indicate that new-onset CD, but not CD in remission or active CD, is associated with significantly increased positive ASO compared to controls. Half of the patients in the new-onset CD group were ASO positive, which was significantly higher compared to the control group in a univariant (OR: 4.00; 95% CI 1.27– 12.58; P=0.02) and multivariant analysis (OR: 4.41; 95% CI 1.35– 14.37; P=0.014). Conclusion: Our study is the first to focus on ASO levels in patients with CD and to demonstrate a significant association between ASO and new-onset of CD. Large prospective randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm the validity of this data and to further clarify the clinical significance of our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the article "Moses Maimonides on the Holy Spirit" presented by Adam Afterman at the Tel Aviv University. Topics include examines that medieval Jewish thought, whether philosophical, theological, scientific, or kabbalistic are invested in the exploration of the indeterminate point between the metaphysical and the physical realm and several discussed topics of theological issues are the literal truth of the biblical narrative, human perfection, divine revelation.

Today, physical appearance plays a major role in self-esteem and, as a result, also in the overall satisfaction of the person. Facial esthetics plays a crucial role, with the smile being the protagonist. A multi disciplinary approach, including several specialties of dentistry, is usually needed in order to create a pleasing end result. With the Smile’s Aesthetic Evaluation Form (SAEF), the authors propose a new evaluation of the esthetics of the smile. It uses both static (photographs) and dynamic (videos) analysis, followed by several objective and subjective items, thus improving the communication between the different dental specialists and laboratory technicians. The SAEF also provides the patient knowledge of the disharmonies of the smile and increases the patient’s comprehension and acceptance of treatment. It is organized in such a way as to provide an understanding of the esthetic parameters of the mile individually, and, simultaneously, evaluate the quality of the smile for the specific case. This form is designed to detect small dental anomalies when the patient is not content with his/her smile, but is unable to pinpoint the parameters that cause this dissatisfaction. This esthetic evaluation form can be a useful additional tool to the clinical diagnostic procedure. In order for the analysis to be fully understood, an example of its use will be presented in a clinical case. Case report: A 28-year-old female patient, dissatisfied with her smile, presented to the Orthodontic Department of Tel Aviv University. She had undergone orthodontic treatment in the past. She presented a relapse in the mandible. The relapse in the mandibular arch was to be corrected with Invisalign. For the maxillary arch, the SAEF was completed in order to improve the communication between the orthodontist, patient, and cosmetic dentist to correct the incorrect parameters highlighted in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses 104 coins retrieved during the archaeological excavations at Khirbet el-'Aqd in the 1970s and 1980s. The numismatic finds include coins from surveys, trial probes and mostly systematic archaeological excavations carried out by the then Archaeological Division of the Department of Classics of Tel Aviv University. The coin finds are discussed against the backdrop of the site's history and archaeological remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tiny fragment of a clay sealing impressed by an Egyptian scarab was unearthed in 2014 during excavations by the Tel Aviv University at the City of David. The legible hieroglyphs form part of an inscription that provided the name and title of the seal owner, most likely a dignitary from the time of the 13th Dynasty. Close inspection of the sealing revealed that it was used to seal a box, and a provenance analysis of the clay proved it to be of local composition. In light of these findings, other Egyptian objects from MBIIA contexts, such as Egyptian seals, sealings and pottery are reevaluated in order to assess the extent of the relations between Egypt and the Levant in general, and Jerusalem in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Smartphone applications (apps) for smoking cessation are becoming increasingly available, but their efficacy remains to be demonstrated. We conducted a pilot study of SmokeBeat, a novel app designed for use with smartwatches and wristbands. SmokeBeat is powered by a data analytics software platform that processes information from the sensors embedded in wearables. It relies on an original algorithm to identify in real time the hand-to-mouth gestures that characterize smoking a cigarette. We examined whether merely monitoring and notifying smokers on smoking episodes in real time via the SmokeBeat app would lead to reduction in smoking.Methods: Forty smokers (9 women and 31 men) who expressed a wish to reduce or quit smoking were randomly assigned to using the SmokeBeat app for 30 days or to a wait-list control group. All participants completed questionnaires at baseline and at the end of the study, including their level of smoking. Smokers in the experimental condition were notified whenever the SmokeBeat system detected a smoking episode and were asked to confirm or deny it.Results: The SmokeBeat algorithm correctly detected over 80% of the smoking episodes and produced very few false alarms. According to both self-report and detection of smoking episodes by the SmokeBeat system, smokers in the experimental condition showed a significant decline in smoking rate over the 30-day trial (p < .001). There was no change in the smoking rate of the control group.Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that automatic monitoring of smoking episodes and alerting the smoker in real time may facilitate smoking reduction in motivated smokers.Implications: Raising the awareness of smokers to the act of smoking in real time, as the SmokeBeat app is able to do, can counter the automaticity of the smoking habit. Bringing smoking under conscious awareness may benefit smokers who are motivated to reduce or quit smoking to gain better control of their smoking behavior and reduce cigarette intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spring, 2013, Tel Aviv University - an Israeli higher education superbrand that had never been branded - embarked on a branding process in pursuit of its defining narrative. This decision was taken despite the leadership's awareness of the many challenges in academic branding, with some processes resulting in success and others in ringing failure. What prompted a de facto superbrand to seek formal branding? How did a thorough strategic process manage to make dry academic research relevant and accessible to children, students, parents and donors alike? What did it take to implement the branding in a complex organization, as well as deal with internal objections and serious crises along the way? The story of Tel Aviv University's branding is applicable to any institution that is considering branding or rebranding, especially academic ones and NGOs. This paper takes you step by step on a journey that begins with identifying problems and needs, dives deep into a fascinating strategic process; and continues through the systematic implementation of the brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Israel is rich in wheat wild relatives. Some of the species have a restricted geographic distribution, grow in small populations, and are subjected to habitat fragmentation. To better conserve and exploit these species there is a need to characterize the genetic structure of ex situ collections. The population structure and genetic diversity of three wheat wild relatives from the genus Aegilops were studied. Collections of the species Ae. longissima (23 accessions), Ae. sharonensis (105 accessions) and Ae. speltoides (157 accessions) from the Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement (ICCI), Tel-Aviv University were genotyped using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) technique. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed different and similar diversity patterns among the species. All species had differences between northern and southern populations, however, in Ae. sharonensis there was a more significant component differentiating western and eastern populations. Some of the southeast accessions of Ae. sharonensis clustered together with the northern - coastal Ae. longissima accessions away from the rest of the Ae. longissima and Ae. sharonensis accessions. Ae. sharonensis collection has shown much more population differentiation than Ae. speltoides collection while in Ae. speltoides the total genetic diversity within populations diversity was higher. Ae. sharonensis population structure was more correlated with geographic distance while Ae. speltoides population structure has shown less structured populations and less correlation with geographic distance. Ae. sharonensis population structure was also correlated with soil type and humidity while in Ae. speltoides northern collection no correlation with the environment was found. The evolutionary and conservation perspectives of these finding are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the documented finds from Serabit el-Khadim are a few pieces that relate to officials of the institution of the god‘s wife. These exceptional documents, from private inscriptions, shed a refreshing light on Hatshepsut‘s role as an executive figure of royal status at this site. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The zebrafish has become a model of choice in fundamental and applied life sciences and is widely used in various fields of biomedical research as a human disease model for cancer, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, and regenerative medicine. The transparency of the zebrafish embryo allows real-time visualization of the development and morphogenesis of practically all of its tissues and organs. Zebrafish are amenable to genetic manipulation, for which innovative genetic and molecular techniques are constantly being introduced. These include the study of gene function and regulation using gene knockdown, knockout and knock-in, as well as transgenesis and tissue-specific genetic perturbations. Complementing this genetic toolbox, the zebrafish exhibits measurable behavioral and hormonal responses already at the larval stages, providing a viable vertebrate animal model for high-throughput drug screening and chemical genetics. With the available tools of the genomic era and the abundance of disease-associated human genes yet to be explored, the zebrafish model is becoming the preferred choice in many studies. Its advantages and potential are being increasingly recognized within the Israeli scientific community, and its use as a model system for basic and applied science has expanded in Israel in recent years. Since the first zebrafish-focused laboratory was introduced at Tel Aviv University 16 years ago, seven more zebrafish-centric research groups have been established, along with more than two dozen academic research groups and three bio-medical companies that are now utilizing this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses research being conducted on occupational career and training, labor-management relations, and work-related social psychological stress by the Tel-Aviv University Department of Labor Studies. The article also includes a list of researchers who contributed to these studies, including a study by Moshe Krauz and Dafna Izraeli focusing on to connection between personality and professional specialization, and Arie Shirom's investigation into the connection between hypertension and industrial laborers.

The article presents profile of dentists including Aviad Tamse and Michael Tagger, who are considered as pioneer of endodontics in Middle East. Topics include establishment of endodontics division at Tel Ha Shomer dental hospital, which eventually developed into Tel Aviv University Dental School by Tamse; and completion of Clinical Teaching Fellowship Program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts.

The innermost dental tissue, termed secondary dentin (SD), has been established as a valuable parameter for aging, as its thickness is highly correlated with age and can be viewed in a non-invasive manner using micro-computerized tomography (μCT). Dental remnants show a high preservation rate in an archeological context and may be used as age indicators, thus possibly supplementing traditional skeletal-based demographics. As the SD age assessment method was based on unworn teeth, in the current study, we adjusted the approach to allow age estimation of highly worn teeth and later to explore prehistoric samples. In order to do so, 90 lower premolars from known age and gender individuals with various degrees of occlusal attrition were included. The teeth originated from the Hamann-Todd Osteologic Collection (Cleveland, OH, USA) and from the Tel Aviv University collection (Israel). Combining SD measurements and occlusal Attrition slightly improved the standard error of age estimate from ±7.7 years based on SD and ±9.5 years based on Attrition to a range of ±6.5 years. The SD-age method was used to evaluate the age of individuals from three Natufian and Neolithic sites using dental remains (Hayonim Cave, Ein Mallaha 14,900–11,750 cal BP, and Kfar Hahoresh ∼12,175–8250 cal BP). Population coverage increased substantially with the addition of forty-eight premolars to previous skeletal age assessments to create new life tables. The addition of dental age assessments, representing unaccounted individuals, shifted the age distributions and increased the expected lifespan between 4.7 and 1.8 years. Using the SD-age analysis, isolated, fragmented teeth can be included in the paleodemographic study, thus broadening the coverage of samples and providing better insight into archaic populations' structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the highlights of the salvage excavation carried out at a site in Hurvat el-Za'atar near Moshav Shoresh in Israel in January 2009. The excavation was managed by H. Ashkenazi on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. Also cited are the findings like water cisterns, ancient agricultural installations, and caves.

The article presents the highlights of the small-scale salvage excavations conducted in Horvat Titora (West) and Hirbet Abu Freij (Northwest) in Israel as of March 2017. The activity was conducted on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. Among the artifacts recovered are a lime kiln, a stone clearance heap, and a stone spoil heap.

The article presents the highlights of the salvage excavation conducted at the Gizo North site in Israel in December 2009. The activity was managed by H. Ashkenazi on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. It focuses on the winepress and a cave found in the area. Other findings included ribbed sherds of pottery, and a gun cartridge.

The article presents the highlights of the salvage excavation carried out in the village of Tzelafon in Israel in July-August 2011. The excavation was carried out on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University and the Israeli Institute of Archaeology. Also cited are the findings in the area like agricultural terraced walls, burial caves, and pottery.

The article presents the highlights of the salvage excavation conducted at the Horvat 'Alin site in Mordei Hageta'Ot St., Beit Shemesh, Israel in February 2011. The activity was supervised by Boaz Gross on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University and the Israeli Institute of Archaeology (IAA). Also cited are the findings from earlier excavations like winepresses, burial caves, and quarries.

The article presents the highlights of the salvage excavations conducted in the Horvat Akhbar area in Israel in May 2012. The excavation was carried out on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaelogy of Tel Aviv University and the Israeli Institute of Archaeology. Also cited are the things found at the site including stone clearance heaps, winepresses, water cistern and cupmarks. INSET: NUMISMATIC FINDS.

The article presents the highlights of the salvage excavation conducted at the Kever Dan site in Israel in January-February 2012. The activity was supervised by B. Gross on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University and the Israeli Institute of Archaeology. Also cited are the type of soil in the shallow basin at the site and the artifacts found like a single sherd of a large bowl and a sherd of cooking-pot.

The article presents the highlights of the salvage excavation at a burial cave complex at the Ras Abu Dahud area in Rishon LeZion, Israel in 1998-1999. The activities were directed by H. E. Yohanan and E. Buzaglo on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaelogy of Tel Aviv University. Also cited are the things found like cist graves, burial caves, and several types of lamps.

The article discusses the highlights of the salvage excavation carried out at the Harish (East) site in Israel since 2013. The excavation was conducted on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. Also mentioned are the approval by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on the activities and findings like a stone structure, chisel and smoothing marks, and a hewn water hole or cistern.

The article discusses the excavation activities at the Ard el-Samra multi-period site in the Akko Plain region in Israel as of March 2017. The salvage excavations were carried out on behalf of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. Also cited are the stratigraphy of the site areas including the Intermediate Bronze Age and Chalcolithic period, as well as the materials found like pottery.

The article presents the discussion on notes on contributors. Topics include Muzna Awayed-Bishara is a faculty member in the Program for Multilingual Education at the School of Education, Tel Aviv University; and Hadar Netz is a faculty member in the Program for Multilingual Education at the School of Education, Tel-Aviv University.

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The study presented in this paper examines the feasibility of using MOOCs as a learning environment in academic courses. This paper focuses on the students who participated in two MOOCs offered by Tel Aviv University (TAU) during the year 2013. The preliminary findings of this pilot study illustrate the scope of student activity, the learning intensity, and learner path. In addition, attitudes of TAU students who participated in these courses as part of their curriculum are presented. From TAU's perspective, the presented MOOCs are considered to be a successful experience for all those involved: the students, who were very satisfied with their learning and high achievements; the lecturer team, who were very enthusiastic and satisfied with the learning process as well as the new experience; and the University policy makers, who took the challenge and integrated this new model of learning into the academic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]