Disruption Process Research Articles

Disruptive production process innovation for sustainable business: evidence from an emerging economy

PurposeThe study aimed to develop a disruptive production process innovation model from an emerging economy's agro-based dairy farming perspective based on the case of a Bangladeshi model dairy farm named Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm (CBBDF), Savar, Dhaka.Design/methodology/approachThe study used qualitative in-depth interviews, participants and document observation. Around 20 key informants were purposefully selected from the case organization.FindingsThe findings propose two different models for disruptive production process innovation toward sustainable agribusiness dairy farming from an emerging economy perspective and the modified process model from traditional dairy farms to modern dairy based on the stakeholders' (such as consumers, owners, managers and government) demand.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to develop a disruptive production process innovation and technology model for the dairy industry and its stakeholders' responsibilities from the experience of an emerging economy. The value of the research is in identifying factors under traditional dairy farming that need to be reduced and eliminated, and the factors under society, health concerns and value-added to existing farms need to be raised as per the global industry standard.

Simulation of DIII-D disruption with argon pellet injection and runaway electron beam

Abstract The next generation of large tokamaks, including ITER, will be equipped with a disruption mitigation system (DMS) that can be activated if a disruption is deemed to be imminent. Introducing impurities by pellet (large or shattered) or massive gas injection has been shown to be an effective mitigation mechanism on many tokamaks. The goal of the mitigation is to lessen the thermal and electromagnetic loads from the disruption without generating enough high-energy (runaway) electrons to damage the device. Variations of this mitigation process with impurity injection are presently being tested on many experiments. We have modeled one such impurity injection experiment on DIII-D using the M3D-C1 nonlinear 3D extended MHD code (Jardin et al 2012 Comput. Sci. Discovery 6 014002), The model includes an argon large pellet injection and ablation model, impurity ionization, recombination, and radiation, and runaway electron formation and subsequent evolution, including both Dreicer and avalanche sources. We obtain reasonable agreement with the experimental results for the timescale of the thermal and current quench and for the magnitude of the runaway electron plateau formed during the mitigation. This is the first 3D full MHD simulation with pellets and REs to simulate the disruption process and it also provides a partial validation of the M3D-C1 DMS model.

Partial Disruption of a Planet around a White Dwarf: The Effect of Perturbations from the Remnant Planet on the Accretion

About 25%–50% of white dwarfs (WDs) are found to be polluted by heavy elements. It has been argued that the pollution could be caused by the tidal disruption of an approaching planet around the WD, during which a large number of clumps would be produced and would finally fall onto the WD. The reason that the planet approaches the WD is usually believed to be due to gravitational perturbations from another distant planet or stellar companion. However, the dynamics of the perturbations and the detailed partial disruption process are still poorly understood. In this study, we present an in-depth investigation of these issues. A triple system composed of a WD, an inner orbit planet, and an outer orbit planet is considered. The inner planet would be partially disrupted periodically over its long-term evolution. Fragments generated in the process are affected by gravitational perturbations from the remnant planet, facilitating their fall toward the WD. The mass-loss rate of the inner planet depends on both its internal structure and also on the orbital configuration of the planetary system.

Lower Plasma Levels of Selective VGF (Non-Acronymic) Peptides in Bipolar Disorder: Comparative Analysis Reveals Distinct Patterns across Mood Disorders and Healthy Controls

Introduction: Discriminating bipolar disorder (BD) from major depressive disorder (MDD) remains a challenging clinical task. Identifying specific peripheral biosignatures that can differentiate between BD and MDD would significantly increase diagnostic accuracy. Dysregulated neuroplasticity is implicated in BD and MDD, and psychotropic medications restore specific disrupted processes by increasing neurotrophic signalling. The nerve growth factor inducible vgf gene (non-acronymic) encodes a precursor protein named proVGF, which undergoes proteolytic processing to produce several VGF peptides, some of which were suggested to be implicated in mood disorders and have antidepressant effects. Since the presence of VGF peptides in humans has been exclusively investigated in brain and cerebrospinal fluid, we aimed to identify which VGF peptides are present in the plasma and to investigate whether their levels could differentiate BD from MDD as well as responders from non-responders to pharmacological interventions. Methods: VGF peptides were investigated in plasma from patients diagnosed with MDD (n = 37) or BD (n = 40 under lithium plus n = 29 never exposed to lithium), as well as healthy controls (HC; n = 36). Results: Three VGF peptides (TLQP-11, AQEE-14, and NAPP-19) were identified using spectrometry analysis of plasma from HC. These peptides were then measured in the entire sample using ELISA, which showed significantly lower levels of AQEE and NAPP in BD than in HC and MDD (p = 5.0 × 10−5, p = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that lower plasma levels of NAPP and AQEE are specifically associated with BD, thus possibly representing a diagnostic biomarker in mood disorders.

Network disruption via continuous batch removal: The case of Sicilian Mafia.

Network disruption is pivotal in understanding the robustness and vulnerability of complex networks, which is instrumental in devising strategies for infrastructure protection, epidemic control, cybersecurity, and combating crime. In this paper, with a particular focus on disrupting criminal networks, we proposed to impose a within-the-largest-connected-component constraint in a continuous batch removal disruption process. Through a series of experiments on a recently released Sicilian Mafia network, we revealed that the constraint would enhance degree-based methods while weakening betweenness-based approaches. Moreover, based on the findings from the experiments using various disruption strategies, we propose a structurally-filtered greedy disruption strategy that integrates the effectiveness of greedy-like methods with the efficiency of structural-metric-based approaches. The proposed strategy significantly outperforms the longstanding state-of-the-art method of betweenness centrality while maintaining the same time complexity.

H2Bro – a Novel Decoupled Electrocatalytic-Catalytic Water Splitting Process for Green Hydrogen Production

Green hydrogen produced by water splitting using renewable electricity is essential to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. Present water electrolysis technologies are uncompetitive with low-cost grey hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, limiting their scale-up potential. Disruptive processes that decouple the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions and produce them in separate cells or different stages emerge as a prospective route to reduce system cost by enabling operation without expensive membranes and sealing components.An elegant and innovative electrocatalytic-catalytic process was suggested for continuous high-current H2 production via membraneless decoupled water splitting (Schematic 1). H2 as the desired product is evolved on the cathode of the electrolytic compartment in near-neutral conditions, Br- is electrochemically oxidized on the anode side to Br2, which reacts in the bulk of the aqueous electrolyte to form bromate anions (with hypobromous acid and hypobromite anions as the intermediate products), whereas a catalytic transformation of the soluble redox couple (BrO3 -/Br-) mediates O2 evolution in the catalytic compartment.Bromate-mediated decoupled water splitting system offers decoupling of the H2 and O2 gases as a safety measure, a membraneless architecture as a cell design simplification, continuous operation mode at low temperature of 60 °C and less corrosive environment along with the potential use of abundant (electro)catalytic materials. The use of the redox mediator also allows bypassing the energetically unfavorable oxygen evolution reaction and, by doing so, decreasing the cell voltage.The concept of the new electrocatalytic-catalytic system was verified experimentally in batch-to-batch mode, resulting in long-term Faradaic efficiency of 98±2% and voltage efficiency of 62% at 1 A cm-2 already at its infancy stage [1]. Nevertheless, the merging of the electrolytic and catalytic parts into an integrated continuous flow system is still in process.In this work, a variety of possible system part designs were suggested and discussed, with an emphasis on integrating the electrolytic and catalytic parts into a continuous flow system. The first iteration of the laboratory scale experimental setup was designed in a continuous stirred reactor mode, using Pt as the cathode material for HER, DSA as the anode material for BER, and RuO2 Adams powder as the catalyst for bromate decomposition, and aiming for a high bromide utilization (BrO3 -/Br- ratio) level at the cell voltage of 1.6 V and the current density values above 0.2 A cm-2. The system was designed to automatically control the electrochemical parameters of the electrolytic process, to adjust the electrolyte flow rate through the electrolytic cell and the bromate/bromide mixture residence time in the catalytic cell, to control the H2 evolution rate, and to detect undesired O2 evolution (if any) in the electrolytic cell, and to optimize and maintain the temperature and pH values. A set of the key parameters affecting Faradaic efficiency, cell voltage and voltage efficiency are analyzed in detail.Some light was also shed on the development of a new type of solid-buffer PGM-free electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in near-neutral conditions, as well as on deciphering the mechanism of bromate decomposition process and the development of novel PGM-free catalyst materials as more affordable alternatives for RuO2 in the catalytic cell.References Slobodkin, E. Davydova, M. Sananis, A. Breytus, A. Rothschild “Electrochemical and chemical cycle for high-efficiency decoupled water splitting in a near-neutral electrolyte", accepted for publication in Nature Materials Funded by the European Union (ERC), Project #101097966 “Continuous electrolytic-catalytic decoupled water electrolysis for green hydrogen production” (H2Bro). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.” Figure 1

Practical measures of science teacher learning: Conceptualizing organizational functions and affordances

AbstractIn this paper, we build on a growing body of research on practical measurement for educational improvement, contributing a conceptualization of the organizational functions of measurement in processes of persistence and change. Our work is grounded in theoretical understandings of micro‐institutional change that foreground processes of reproduction and disruption of organizational categories, priorities, assumptions, and practices. Drawing together measurement discourses from multiple fields of study, we identify four metaphors for organizational functions that measures can serve: carriers, windows, exercises, and drivers. We propose a conceptual framework illustrating relationships and pathways among these functions as they operate in context. We then apply the framework in the context of co‐designing three practical measures of science teacher learning in a large urban district, illustrating varied pathways through which the practical measures seemed to function, and documenting their respective affordances and constraints in driving reproduction and/or disruption in the organization's work to support science teacher learning. This line of work extends prior research on practical measurement through its focus on measures of science teacher learning and its attention to how practical measures can function to shape broader processes of organizational transformation and stability. This paper is part of the special issue on Teacher Learning and Practice within Organizational Contexts.

Protein extracts from microalgae and cyanobacteria biomass. Techno-functional properties and bioactivity: A review

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are photosynthetic and unicellular organisms that contain considerable amounts of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, among others, with applications in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. These microorganisms can accumulate protein up to 70 % of total biomass depending on the microalgal strain, hence they have been regarded as an alternative protein source for the future. Microalgal proteins have important applications such as emulsifying, foaming, and gelation properties, which are important for the determination of quality and texture of foods. Some microalgal peptides possess important bioactivity with many health-benefit effects. Therefore, to maximize the production of proteins from microalgae and cyanobacteria, many protein extraction procedures have been studied to increase the economic return. They have been tested towards higher protein yields at low energy cost, the preservation of protein native properties, and lower cell debris. This later is fundamental to facilitate the subsequent purification processes so that the overall cost can be reduced. The aim of this work is to review some cell disruption processes for the extraction of protein from microalgae and cyanobacteria, considering that this step is crucial for the overall process due to the high rigidness of microalgal cell covering, which can hamper the release of proteins. It also aims at reviewing the purification techniques after cellular disruption, from conventional to more recent approaches, and finally addresses the antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, antibacterial and other bioactive properties of microalgal protein hydrolysates and peptides.

Reactivity of Zinc Fingers in Oxidizing Environments: Insight from Molecular Models Through Activation Strain Analysis.

The reactivity of Zn2+ tetrahedral complexes with H2O2 was investigated in silico, as a first step in their disruption process. The substrates were chosen to represent the cores of three different zinc finger protein motifs, i. e., a Zn2+ ion coordinated to four cysteines (CCCC), to three cysteines and one histidine (CCCH), and to two cysteines and two histidines (CCHH). The cysteine and histidine ligands were further simplified to methyl thiolate and imidazole, respectively. H2O2 was chosen as an oxidizing agent due to its biological role as a metabolic product and species involved in signaling processes. The mechanism of oxidation of a coordinated cysteinate to sulfenate-κS and the trends for the different substrates were rationalized through activation strain analysis and energy decomposition analysis in the framework of scalar relativistic Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations at ZORA-M06/TZ2P ae // ZORA-BLYP-D3(BJ)/TZ2P. CCCC is oxidized most easily, an outcome explained considering both electrostatic and orbital interactions. The isomerization to sulfenate-κO was attempted to assess whether this step may affect the ligand dissociation; however, it was found to introduce a kinetic barrier without improving the energetics of the dissociation. Lastly, ligand exchange with free thiolates and selenolates was investigated as a trigger for ligand dissociation, possibly leading to metal ejection; molecular docking simulations also support this hypothesis.

The Colocation of Magnetic Reconnection and Current Disruption in Jovian Middle Magnetosphere

Magnetic reconnection and current disruption are two key processes in driving energy conversion and dissipation in planetary magnetospheres. At the Earth, the two processes usually occur at different locations: the current disruption process occurs more frequently in the near-Earth magnetotail ∼10 R E, while the magnetotail reconnection process is expected to take place in the more distant region where the current sheet is thinner. Occasionally, under very intense solar wind perturbations, reconnection could be located closer to the Earth where current disruption processes usually operate. But it is unclear what the situation is at giant planets, in which the plasma environment is very different from the Earth. In this study, we investigate a middle-Jupiter reconnection event at ∼43 R J. During the event, the inferred integrated cross-field currents were substantially reduced, which we argue is a signature of current disruption. In this case, we suggest that magnetic reconnection could be colocated with a current disruption process in the Jovian magnetosphere, which is roughly analogous to the situation in the extremely perturbed Earth’s magnetosphere.

Disruptive market-shaping processes: Exploring market formation for autonomous vehicle solutions

In the race toward autonomous vehicle solutions, providers engage in disruptive market-shaping processes to overcome barriers to commercialization and trigger market formation. This study investigates how disruptive market-shaping processes unfold by employing a multiple case study of 10 AVS providers. Our findings reveal a disruptive market-shaping process comprising four dimensions: shaping the value logic, nurturing the demand side, forging ecosystem alliances, and catalyzing institutional changes. Furthermore, we analyze the temporal unfolding of these activities to illustrate a comprehensive market-shaping process comprising three phases: market exploration, market preparation, and market experimentation. We make significant contributions to the market-shaping and AVS literature. By showing empirically how disruptive market-shaping processes unfold, we refine existing knowledge on the broader market formation stage, anchoring it to the emergence of new markets. Our framework offers micro-level insights into the sequencing of activities and phases embedded in shaping new markets. We argue that successful disruptive market shaping is contingent on creating an attractive market value proposition. Finally, we identify the foundational activities required to overcome market barriers and advance the commercialization of autonomous solutions. We find that granular systems logic reveals AVS's true value, questioning traditional market logic and paving the way for a sustainable, autonomous future.

Critical evaluation of disruptive transportation in Indonesia

This study analyzes the highly disruptive transportation business in Indonesia. The purpose of observation is to completely synthesize disruptive transportation that causes bad externalities in society. Data sources come from primary data of interviews and secondary data of related literature. The research method uses critical qualitative with a combination of in-depth interviews with several stakeholders. Key findings suggest that trust, consistency, capital ownership and proximity of new entrants to incumbents are important in disruptive innovation processes, empirical implications that transportation in Indonesia has undergone a definite economic shift. The results showed that although the government has publicly expressed its full support for any individual who will develop a business in the digital economy model, it is not effective enough to be consistent in the transportation business. Policy recommendations include adaptive training incentive programs for incumbent groups and accelerated funding assistance for new entrant groups, in addition to strengthening active collaboration between the government and the private sector is urgently needed.

The impact of blockchain on Brazilian public procurement processes from the perspective of transaction costs: scenarios as perceived by experts

Purpose This paper aims to explore the impacts of a blockchain network implementation to support purchasing processes of a Brazilian public organization. Design/methodology/approach The Grumbach method was used to build the scenarios. Five experts with knowledge in blockchain and experience in public procurement were consulted on 20 possible preliminary events, defining their probability of occurrence and relevance. The data obtained were processed in Puma software, which returned a selection of ten definitive events, based on probability, relevance and standard deviation indicators, generating a map of prospective scenarios. Findings Three following scenarios are shown, the ideal scenario, the one with greater implantation benefits and fewer complications; the trend scenario, more likely to occur under current conditions; and the most likely scenario of occurrence, according to experts. The results indicated which simulated events are drivers (motives), and which are influenced (dependent). They were categorized as opportunities or threats to the deployment of the technology. Research limitations/implications Although public procurement processes are standardized by Brazilian legislation, new events may arise from the replication of the model in different organizations. The research revealed the need for practical testing in a simulated public procurement environment. Originality/value The article explores the interaction between disruptive network technology and processes linked to public sector efficiency. Studies on electronic government point to the future of public management.

Improved mechanistic performance of natural rubber latex modified pavement concretes in sulfate environments

ABSTRACT Sulfate attack causes significant degradation in the concrete matrix, including softening, expansive cracking, and other disruptive processes. This research examined the impact of incorporating a Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) additive on the mechanical and durability improvement of concrete pavements. The study evaluated the influence of water to cement (w/c) ratios and dry rubber to cement (r/c) ratios on compressive and flexural strengths, as well as flexural fatigue characteristics, before and after immersion in a 5% sulfate solution at various intervals. Optimal r/c ratios for the highest flexural strength and fatigue life were 0.58, 1.16, and 1.73 for w/c ratios of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5, respectively. The highest durability was achieved at an r/c ratio of 5.78, resulting in a compressive strength loss of 4.2–7.7 times lower compared to that of normal concrete, hence extending the service life against severe environment. The fatigue model equation proposed by the Portland Cement Association (PCA) was utilised to predict the fatigue life of both normal and NRL-concretes. The outcome of this research will lead to a fundamental knowledge in the development of a design guideline of sustainable concrete pavements, and eventually promote the usage of NRL, which is abundant in Southeast Asia, including Thailand.

Sleep Disruption Precedes Forebrain Synaptic Tau Burden and Contributes to Cognitive Decline in a Sex-Dependent Manner in the P301S Tau Transgenic Mouse Model.

Sleep disruption and impaired synaptic processes are common features in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Hyperphosphorylated Tau is known to accumulate at neuronal synapses in AD, contributing to synapse dysfunction. However, it remains unclear how sleep disruption and synapse pathology interact to contribute to cognitive decline. Here, we examined sex-specific onset and consequences of sleep loss in AD/tauopathy model PS19 mice. Using a piezoelectric home-cage monitoring system, we showed PS19 mice exhibited early-onset and progressive hyperarousal, a selective dark-phase sleep disruption, apparent at 3 months in females and 6 months in males. Using the Morris water maze test, we report that chronic sleep disruption (CSD) accelerated the onset of decline of hippocampal spatial memory in PS19 males only. Hyperarousal occurs well in advance of robust forebrain synaptic Tau burden that becomes apparent at 6-9 months. To determine whether a causal link exists between sleep disruption and synaptic Tau hyperphosphorylation, we examined the correlation between sleep behavior and synaptic Tau, or exposed mice to acute or chronic sleep disruption at 6 months. While we confirm that sleep disruption is a driver of Tau hyperphosphorylation in neurons of the locus ceruleus, we were unable to show any causal link between sleep loss and Tau burden in forebrain synapses. Despite the finding that hyperarousal appears earlier in females, female cognition was resilient to the effects of sleep disruption. We conclude sleep disruption interacts with the synaptic Tau burden to accelerate the onset of cognitive decline with greater vulnerability in males.

Fallback Rates in Partial Tidal Disruptions of White Dwarfs by Intermediate-mass Black Holes

The fallback rate of debris after the partial tidal disruption of a star by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) might provide important signatures of such black holes rather than supermassive ones. Here using smoothed particle hydrodynamics methods, we provide a comprehensive numerical analysis of this phenomenon. We perform numerical simulations of single partial tidal disruptions of solar-mass white dwarfs in parabolic orbits, with a nonspinning 103 M ⊙ IMBH for various values of the impact parameter, and determine the core mass fractions and fallback rates of debris into the IMBH. For supermassive black holes, in full disruption processes, it is known that the late-time fallback rate follows a power law t −5/3, whereas for partial disruptions, such a rate has recently been conjectured to saturate at a steeper power law t −9/4, independent of the mass of the remnant core. We show here that for IMBHs, partial disruptions significantly alter this conclusion. That is, the fallback rate at late times does not asymptote to a t −9/4 power law, and this rate is also a strong function of the core mass. We derive a robust formula for the late-time fallback rate as a function of the core mass fraction, which is independent of the mass of the white dwarf, as we verify numerically by varying it.

Towards a social determination of health framework for understanding climate disruption and health-disease processes.

We compare the social determinants of health (SDOH) and the social determination of health (SDET) from the school of Latin American Social Medicine/Collective Health. Whereas SDET acknowledges how capitalist rule continues to shape global structures and public health concerns, SDOH proffers neoliberal solutions that obscure much of the violence and dispossession that influence contemporary migration and health-disease experiences. Working in simultaneous ethnographic teams, the researchers here interviewed Honduran migrants in their respective sites of Honduras, Mexico, and the United States. These interlocutors connected their experiences of disaster and health-disease to lack of economic resources and political corruption. Accordingly, we provide an elucidation of the liberal and dehumanizing foundations of SDOH by relying on theorizations from Africana philosophy and argue that the social determination of health model better captures the intersecting historical inequalities that structure relationships between climate, health-disease, and violence.

Unveiling very young O stars

Context. O-type stars are known to significantly contribute to both the dynamics and evolution of galaxies. Massive and luminous, they probably control and regulate the galaxies star formation rates. The stellar feedback generated by such cosmic beasts can strongly affect the local star formation rate, with effects in the current (and future) generations of low and intermediate mass stars, and possibly also in the disruption process of the galaxies’ giant gas reservoirs. Aims. For this work I performed a redetermination of the spectral types and effective temperatures of the Galactic O-type stars MSP182, MSP183, MSP199, VPHAS-01338, and VPHAS-01273. Methods. From a careful examination of the spectral features present in the blue optical spectral region, it was possible to identify several nitrogen lines usually only seen in the blue optical spectra of O2–O3 stars. From the nitrogen ionic equivalent width ratios measured in the spectra of MSP182, MSP183, MSP199, VPHAS-01338, and VPHAS-01273, and in those of standard stars of the O2–O4 spectral types, earlier spectral types and hotter effective temperature values were derived. Results. Two O2V((f*))z, together with three new O3 V stars are now firmly identified in the Westerlund 2 region. Besides RFS1 in NGC 3603, the O2 V stars found in Westerlund 2 are the only other exemplars known to date in the Milky Way. From the nitrogen equivalent width line ratios measured in the spectra of standard stars of the O2–O4 spectral types, linear relations between the N IVλ4058/N IIIλ4640 ratio and the effective temperature in the 47 000–51 000 K range were derived. Based on my spectroscopic analysis of the science targets and the use of a HRD, a mean heliocentric distance of 5 kpc to Westerlund 2 was computed, a result that is in line with the mean heliocentric distance of 5.3 ± 1.5 kpc obtained from the associated Gaia DR3 parallaxes and distances. Conclusions. The Westerlund 2 massive stars studied in this work probably share a common evolutionary process that might be representative of the evolutionary ages of a large fraction of the cluster’s O-type stellar population, which seems to be much younger than 1 Myr.

Subtle nature of innovation – Heidegger, Moreno and Henry, a phenomenological perspective

The research aim is to explore the limits, frailties and vulnerabilities of the concept of well-being from a phenomenological perspective, under the argument that, from that groundwork, powerful, effective and impactful results may emerge. This consists in explorations into the subtle nature of innovation. The procedures applied, within the setting of phenomenological investigations and of hands-on-based work, include the disclosure of real-life examples, illustrations and influential initiatives that capture work-in-progress in contemporary societies. The conclusions wrap-up the insights from Heidegger, Moreno and Henry into the foundational basis of innovation, understood as an open, public, collective, dialogical and, inherently, disruptive process, which is (already), unavoidably, present in regenerative, ecological, socio-political, and local and global business economics research.

Congenital brain malformations

Malformations of the central nervous system belong to the most common developmental disorders in humans. The clinical presentation of brain malformations is nonspecific including developmental delay, hypotonia, and/or epilepsy. The great heterogeneity concerning etiology, mechanisms of development and morphology is challenging for diagnosis and classification of brain malformations. Thereby recognizing specific malformations is essential for optimal patient management and prognostic evaluation. The aim of this article is to give an overview of several clinically relevant brain malformations occurring from different disrupted developmental processes in brain formation. Several brain malformations are already diagnosed during routine ultrasound in pregnancy. However pre- and postnatal magnetic resonance imaging remains the gold standard in detecting the partially subtle changes and to classify the malformations. Advances in pre- and postnatal neuroimaging techniques and increasing investigation of genetic mechanisms underlying brain formation and its abnormalities have led to abetter understanding of embryologic development and pathogeneses of brain malformations. Besides patient's history and clinical phenotype, neuroimaging plays akey role in diagnosis. Not always aspecific diagnosis can be made, but neuroimaging patterns often enable afocused genetic testing and therefore are revolutionary for etiologic and prognostic assignment. Basic knowledge of brain development facilitates understanding and classifying of structural brain abnormalities.