Laboratory Assistants Research Articles

Barriers to Genetic Testing for Pediatric Medicaid Beneficiaries With Epilepsy

BackgroundChildren with public insurance (Medicaid) have increased barriers to specialty care in the United States. For children with epilepsy, the relationship between public insurance and barriers to genetic testing is understudied. MethodsWe surveyed a sample of US child neurology clinicians. We performed quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses. ResultsThere were 302 responses (of 1982 surveyed; response rate 15%) from clinicians from 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, including board-certified child neurologists (82%), resident physicians (6%), nurses (3%), and nurse practitioners (3%). Clinicians felt it was more difficult to get genetic testing for patients with Medicaid insurance compared with commercial insurance, (43% vs 12%, P < 0.05), although many felt it was about the same degree of difficulty (25%) or were not sure (20%). Increased availability of testing was associated with less complex testing (P < 0.001), in-house testing (P < 0.001), and no preauthorization requirements (P < 0.001). Qualitative responses described barriers related to cost, clinician familiarity and comfort, commercial laboratories, health care organization, payer, and patient concerns. Descriptions of facilitators included lowered cost, availability of clinical genetics expertise, clinician knowledge, commercial laboratory assistance, health care organizational changes, improved payer coverage, and increased interest by parents. ConclusionsPediatric Medicaid beneficiaries with epilepsy have barriers to genetic testing, compared with children with commercial insurance, particularly for more advanced testing. Potential strategies to improve access include broader coverage, lower co-pays, increased capacity for testing outside of specialty laboratories, fewer preauthorization requirements, improved clinician education, ongoing development and dissemination of guidelines, improved availability of clinical genetics services, and continued assistance programs from commercial laboratories.

MANAJEMEN KEPEMIMPINAN BERBASIS MUTU UNTUK MENINGKATKAN DAYA SAING PERGURUAN TINGGI

Leadership base qualify is a leadership that be able to apply qualify management well.one of flourish base qualify is Integrated Qualify Management (IQM)applying IQM needs the character change of relation between the one who managing (leader) and the one who doing work (lecturer, worker, laboratory assistant, technician, etc.). Command from the leader changed by the worker into initiative. Leader task not only give a command but also supporting and facilitating work qualify improvement of the members and the workers.&#x0D; To make leadership on a university can apply IQM successfully, then the university has to do systematic process. These are the concepts apply Determination-Implementation-Evaluation-Control-Enhancement (DIECE), that consist steps of plan, plan of implementation, implementation of evaluation, control and enhancement that corrective to the results.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology's 2015 Wage Survey of Medical Laboratories in the United States.

To inform the pathology and laboratory field of the most recent national wage data from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Historically, the results of this biennial survey have served as a basis for additional research on laboratory recruitment, retention, education, marketing, certification, and advocacy. The 2015 wage survey was conducted through collaboration between the ASCP's Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy in Washington, DC, and the ASCP Board of Certification in Chicago, Illinois. Electronic survey invitations were sent to individuals who are currently practicing in the field. Data reveal increased salaries since 2013 for all staff-level laboratory professionals surveyed except phlebotomists and pathologists' assistants. Laboratory assistants and phlebotomists, regardless of level, continue to have lower salaries while pathologists' assistants and administration personnel have higher salaries than the rest of the laboratory professions surveyed. Survey results put emphasis on strategic recruitment and retention by laboratory training programs and institutions that hire laboratory professionals.

Sistem Pendukung Keputusan Pemilihan Asisten Laboratorium Menggunakan Metode Simple Additive Weighting (SAW)

Acceptance laboratory assistant in STMIK of Palangka Raya is one example of a case in making decision.Lecturers who became a selector of a practicum lecture will do selection acceptance assistant to the student who has registered as a candidate for assistant so that the process undertaken inaccurate in the selection process. the role of information technology is expected to be used to assist the lecturer in the process of acceptance of a laboratory assistant, so as to speed up the process and can produce the best decisions about anyone assistants who is received so that made the supporting system of decision selection laboratory assistant in STMIK of Palangka Raya which use method of Simple Additive Weighting (SAW). To make this system uses a method of SAW and the programming language used is Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, then the system is developed using development method of software waterfall with design tools such as DFD (Data Flow Diagram) , ERD (Entity Relationship Diagram) and Database. With there is the Decision Support System that can be easier for STMIK of Palangka Raya in aiding the selection of a laboratory assistant so that can improve the quality of laboratory assistant.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology's 2015 Wage Survey of Medical Laboratories in the United States.

To inform the pathology and laboratory field of the most recent national wage data from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Historically, the results of this biennial survey have served as a basis for additional research on laboratory recruitment, retention, education, marketing, certification, and advocacy. The 2015 wage survey was conducted through collaboration between the ASCP's Institute of Science, Technology, & Policy in Washington, DC, and the ASCP Board of Certification in Chicago, Illinois. Electronic survey invitations were sent to individuals who are currently practicing in the field. Data reveal increased salaries since 2013 for all staff-level laboratory professionals surveyed except phlebotomists and pathologists' assistants. Laboratory assistants and phlebotomists, regardless of level, continue to have lower salaries while pathologists' assistants and administration personnel have higher salaries than the rest of the laboratory professions surveyed. Survey results put emphasis on strategic recruitment and retention by laboratory training programs and institutions that hire laboratory professionals.

Performance of health laboratories in provision of HIV diagnostic and supportive services in selected districts of Tanzania

BackgroundRoll-out and implementation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) necessitated many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen their national health laboratory systems (NHLSs) to provide high quality HIV diagnostic and supportive services. This study was conducted to assess the performance of health laboratories in provision of HIV diagnostic and supportive services in eight districts (from four regions of Iringa, Mtwara, Tabora and Tanga), after nine years of implementation of HIV/AIDS care and treatment plan in Tanzania.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, checklists and observations were utilized to collect information from health facilities (HFs) with care and treatment centres (CTCs) for HIV/AIDS patients; on availability of laboratories, CTCs, laboratory personnel, equipment and reagents. A checklist was also used to collect information on implementation of quality assurance (QA) systems at all levels of the NHLS in the study areas.ResultsThe four regions had 354 HFs (13 hospitals, 41 Health Centres (HCs) and 300 dispensaries); whereby all hospitals had laboratories and 11 had CTCs while 97.5 and 61.0% of HCs had both laboratories and CTCs, respectively. Of the dispensaries, 36.0 and 15.0% had laboratories and CTCs (mainly in urban areas). Thirty nine HFs (12 hospitals, 21 HCs and six dispensaries) were assessed and 56.4% were located in urban areas. The assessed HFs had 199 laboratory staff of different cadres (laboratory assistants = 35.7%; technicians =32.7%; attendants = 22.6%; and others = 9.1%); with >61% of the staff and 72.3% of the technicians working in urban areas. All laboratories were using rapid diagnostic tests for HIV testing. Over 74% of the laboratories were performing internal quality control and 51.4% were participating in external QA programmes. Regional and district laboratories had all key equipment and harmonization was maintained for Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) machines. Most of the biochemical (58.0%) and haematological analysers (74.1%) were available in urban areas. Although >81% of the equipment were functional with no mechanical faulty, 62.6% had not been serviced in the past three years.ConclusionDiagnostic and supportive services for HIV were available in most of the HCs and hospitals while few dispensaries were providing the services. Due to limitations such as shortage of staff, serving of equipment and participation in QA programmes, the NHLS should be strengthened to ensure adequate human resource, implementation of QA and sustainable preventive maintenance services of equipment.

Simulated overfishing and natural eutrophication promote the relative success of a non-indigenous ascidian in coral reefs at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

This study was supported by a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship to the first author. S. Carvalho is funded by the Saudi Aramco-KAUST Center for Marine Environmental Observations (SAKMEO). We thank the Centro de Investigacion en Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia (CIMAR) at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose for logistical support. We also would like to acknowledge the laboratory assistance team of the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT) D. Dasbach, M. Birkicht and D. Peterke. We thank Joao Curida for his artistry in the production of Figure 1, C. We thank the anonymous reviewers, and the editors of Aquatic Invasions for their careful reading of our manuscript and their insightful comments and suggestions.

Rancang Bangun Sistem Informasi Asistensi ORACLE Berbasis Web Di Prodi Sistem Informasi UNIKOM

Learning process in the Computer Laboratory cannot be separated by quantity and computer specs as well as qualified lecturer. learning process in the Oracle Laboratory of Information System Major can not be held optimally, because many students in the laboratory and limited time for study. Not all students can be accommodate to solve their problems in the laboratory. This problem is solved with the chosen laboratory assistant. During the process of selecting a laboratory assistant do with conventional process. The election process can not produce a qualified assistant. Besides that, scheduling lab assistants performed manually, resulting in a scheduling conflict with class schedules the assistant and needs to create a schedule and printing BAP (Berita Acara Perkuliahan) returned.The certificate of assistance is granted at the end of the semester, done manually and can be made repeatedly. Therefore, need to be built Laboratory Information System Assistance Oracle (SIASLORA) that can process data assistant candidate selection, scheduling assistance Oracle lab, printing BAP (Berita Acara Perkuliahan) and printing a certificate of assistance quickly and accurately. Development method of SIASLORA using prototype development system and structured system approach using context diagram and data flow diagram. The Programing language using PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) and data base management system (DBMS) using MySQL. With SIASLORA expected to overcome the problems described earlier. Keywords — laboratory Oracle, kcomputerize, information system, SIASLORA.

Assessing Laboratory Skills Performance in Undergraduate Biology Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the laboratory skills performance of undergraduate biology students in Ethiopian universities based on skill performance rubric. Individual laboratory practical skill performance test was implemented with 55 randomly selected third year biology students from three universities in a laboratory setting under supervision of the raters. Five level scale questionnaires were administered to 208 third year biology students, 26 biology instructors and 2 laboratory assistants. The results showed that the laboratory skill performance test score was below the midpoint with significantly different between the old and the middle as well as the new university. Correlation and multiple regression analyses showed that teachers’ experience had significant positive regression weight. From the results of the analysis, it is recommended that in biology laboratory, performance-based assessment needs to be undertaken in placement to written exam and instructors need much more assistance and professional development of biology laboratory performance skills as well as pedagogies of how to assess the laboratory performance skills of their students. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2016.v5n3p113

Podvisotskaya O.N. the first academician dermatologist since the moment of establishment of the AMS USSR

Olga Nikolaevna Podvisotskaya (1884-1958) made her way up from the laboratory assistant at the Clinic of Dermal and Venereal Diseases at the St. Petersburg Women’s Medical Institute to the first dermatologist academician at the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. She is one of the leaders of the domestic dermatology of the mid 20th century and the creator of a new school of dermatology, based on pathophysiological researches. O.N. Podvisotskaya is the author of fascinating researches on blastomycosis, chromoblastomycosis, epidermophytia (acute trichophytia of Podvisotskaya), onychomycosis, tuberculosis. She is known as the founder of the Leningrad Lupus Sanatorium. At this time the process of formation of the Academy of Medical Sciences as a standalone structure, designed to put together the practical and theoretical sciences in the country has been evolving. One of the complex phases in this process was the foundation of All Union Institute of Experimental Medicine (AUIEM) and its further reorganisational changes. O.N. Podvisotskaya was taking most active part in the activities of the AUIEM and later - at the AMS after becoming the academician, since the moment of foundation of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1944.

Implementasi Algoritma Genetika Pada Penempatan Tugas Asisten Laboratorium Berbasis Web

On education system in University, the given subject is not only theoretics subject, but practicum also. In teaching practical subjects, the lecturer often experiences a difficulty to answer and handle every question that the students have in laboratory. Therefore, the assistant laboratory is needed here. One of the division in Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, ICT LAB still arranges the assignment of the assistant laboratory manually. It is difficult and takes some times. This thing becomes the reason for the development of an application ICT LAB that can do the assignment process automatically. This research is using Genetic algorithm that can calculate fitness value which show the matching level of the assignment that has been created. Based on the testing, using one point crossover, mutation on bit level, and rank selection, the average fitness value is 68.571% from all of the laboratory assistant vacancy. Based on the data used, there are 22 assignment slots on certain subjects that don’t have any applicant. So if that 22 slots are not used in the fitness calculation, there are only 118 assignment slot and the fitness value becomes 80,5%. This fitness value has problem with the quantity of student that didn’t fit to all of the assignment slot.&#x0D; Index Terms - Genetic Algorithm, rank selection, one point crossover, assignment, laboratory assistant.

Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (1775-1832) and his contributions to our understanding of neuroanatomy.

Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (portrait depicted in Fig. 1) was born on December 31, 1775 in the city of Longuich, then under the rule of Prussia, now Germany. There are reports of him being born 1776, and other reports with John as his first name [1, 2]. He was the son of a farmer and was raised according to the Lutheran church. Spurzheim received a classical religious education at the College of Treves (now Trier). In 1797, due to war between Germany and France, he was forced to move to Austria, where he studied medicine at the University of Vienna [3]. During this time, he became a student and laboratory assistant of physician Franz Josef Gall. The two would later write books and publish together. Gall founded the new science devoted to attributingmental abilities to physical characteristics of the skull; together with Spurzheim, this new science Bphrenology^ (Greek φρήν (phrēn), Bmind^ and λόγος (logos), Bknowledge^ would spread throughout Europe [4].

Thoughts of Health Workers Related to the Organizational Changes of Turkish Health System

The target of this study is to examine how the organizational changes of Turkish Health System are perceived by nurses, laboratory assistants, radiology experts and secretaries according to their seniorities. This study is investigated by means of a Relational Screening Model. In this research, an Accidental Sampling Model is used. The study reached 170 healthcare workers from different jobs who worked in the Central State Hospital in Tokat City and in total 150 people were included in 2014. The data of the research was counted via a two parted questionnaire. The first questionnaire is composed of gender, occupational satisfaction and occupational type. And the second one consists of Multi-Likert Testimony which is formed with questions (Totally Agree-Agree-Undecided-Disagree-Extremely Disagree) about the healthcare organizational changes. According to the results of the research, there is not a meaningful difference between the healthcare workers’ gender and their thoughts about organizational changes. There is not a meaningful difference between the health workers’ occupational satisfaction and their thoughts about the healthcare organizational changes. On the other hand, it is found that there is a meaningful difference between the health workers’ seniority and their thoughts about the healthcare organizational changes and the specification and planning. And there is a meaningful difference between the healthcare workers’ occupational types and organizational change need, planning, practicing, evaluating and philosophy of nurses. It can be said that in general, there is a positive approach towards the change. According to the findings of this study, there is a meaningful difference between planning and the needs of senior healthcare workers when all sub-findings of nurses’ perceptions about the organizational change of healthcare workers are examined.

Assessing what prospective laboratory assistants in biochemistry and cell biology know: development and validation of the test instrument PROKLAS

Laboratory assistants in biology and medicine play a central role in the operation of laboratories in hospitals, research institutes, and industries. Their daily work routine is characterized by dealing with molecular structures/chemical substances (i.e. biochemistry) as well as cell cultures (i.e. cell biology). In both these fields of biochemistry and cell biology, laboratory assistants rely on knowledge about three laboratory tasks: responsible action, data management, and laboratory techniques. Focusing on these laboratory tasks, we developed a test instrument measuring the professional knowledge of prospective laboratory assistants (acronym: PROKLAS) about biochemistry and cell biology. We designed a paper-and-pencil test measuring the professional knowledge of laboratory assistants required to fulfill daily laboratory tasks in biochemistry and cell biology. A sample of N = 284 Vocational Education and Training (VET) students [(average age = 20.0 years (SD = 3.3)] were tested in a cross-sectional study. The sample comprised of prospective biology laboratory assistants, biological technicians, and medical laboratory technicians. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicates that the test developed allows us to measure the professional knowledge of laboratory assistants in biochemistry and cell biology as two empirically separable constructs among laboratory assistants. CFA with covariates widely confirms the validity of PROKLAS in its respective subscales. Firstly, VET-related covariates predicted biochemistry and cell biology scores of students considerably better compared to the covariates related to general secondary school. Secondly, general biological knowledge predicted biochemistry and cell biology scores of PROKLAS. Finally, VET students’ self-efficacy in laboratory tasks and their opportunities to learn laboratory tasks are positively correlated to achievement in PROKLAS. However, we found a similar relationship for self-efficacy in English too. Our analyses indicate that PROKLAS can be effectively used for summative and formative VET evaluation in assessing the professional knowledge of laboratory assistants in biochemistry and cell biology.

AVAILABILITY OF LABORATORY SUPPORTING STAFF AND ITS EFFECT ON THE CONDUCT OF BIOLOGY PRACTICAL LESSON AMONG PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA

The study has investigated availability of laboratory supporting staff and its effect on the conduct of biology practical lesson among public secondary schools in Sokoto State, Nigeria. The study answered two research questions and one hypothesis. The population of the study comprised 32 senior secondary schools in Sokoto metropolis with 93 biology teachers. Fifteen (15) public secondary schools were randomly selected with 30 biology teachers as sampled teachers, including heads of biology departments. The study used an instrument titled Biology Laboratory Practical Work Questionnaire (BLPWQ) with reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data obtained from the field were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and chi-square. The findings revealed that public schools in Sokoto metropolis have no sufficient laboratory supporting staff. The schools also conduct little practical lessons. Similarly, there was significant relationship between laboratory supporting staff availability and frequency of conduct of biology practical lessons. It’s recommended that, the government should provide adequate and qualified laboratory supporting staff (laboratory assistant, technician/attendant) to the secondary schools in the state.

Experimental Approach as a Methodology in Teaching Physics in Secondary Schools

Use of experiment as a teaching methodology for Physics in secondary school is crucial for successful concept delivery by the subject teachers and concept mastery by the learners. Delivering quality content in Physics in most schools in Kenya, nevertheless, has been met with a number of challenges such as inadequate trained teachers, lack of infrastructure (for instance, Physics laboratory, laboratory apparatus, and lack of Laboratory Assistants etc. For instance, in 2014 Gem Disctrict (in Kenya) 52% of teachers of Physics are untrained (that is, they lack basic training to qualify them as teachers of Physics). The contribution of this study is to establish the influence of teacher-based factors on the use of experiments in teaching Physics in secondary schools in Kenya (case of schools in Gem District). Specifically, the study addresses the following objectives: firstly, it determines the influence of the teacher’s professional qualification on the use experiments in teaching Physics; secondly, it establishes the influence of teacher experience on the use of experiments in teaching Physics and the influence of teaching load on the use of experiments in teaching Physics; and lastly, it establishes the influence of the lesson preparation on the use of experiments in teaching Physics. The study employs both descriptive survey and correlation design approaches with a population of 32 participants. Data is collected using questionnaires and interviews. A pilot study is done in 3 secondary schools to test the reliability of the data instruments (achieving Pearson’s r value of 80%) We use both descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, percentages frequencies and Pearson’s r to analyse the quantitative data while qualitative data is transcribed, organized and categorized according to themes and sub-themes. The study results shows that teaching experience, teacher’s preparation, lesson planning and teaching load affect the quantity and quality of experiments carried out by Physics teachers.

Murray John Littlejohn and Patricia Gordon (Patsy) Littlejohn

Murray John Littlejohn and Patricia Gordon (Patsy) Littlejohn

(548) Prolotherapy treatment for Dequervain's Tenosynovitis and Intersection Syndrome

A 62-year-old female laboratory assistant presented to our clinic with chronic pain of the radial and dorsal aspect of the wrist. The pain was aggravated with an increased use of her hands, and improved with ice and anti-inflammatories. On examination, the patient demonstrated a positive Finkelstein’s test and tenderness over the radial styloid process. A musculoskeletal ultrasound evaluation performed in clinic revealed edema in the 1st dorsal compartment around the flexor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis, confirming the suspicion for a diagnosis of Dequervain’s Tenosynovitis with Intersection Syndrome. An ultrasound-guided steroid injection was subsequently performed in the first dorsal compartment and the intersection of the first and second dorsal compartments of the wrist. The injections provided complete pain relief for approximately 2 months. When the pain returned, the patient did not desire further steroid injections due to concern for its systemic effects. The patient was agreeable to prolotherapy injections, and a repeat injection was performed with a 4mL mixture of 1% lidocaine and 12.5% dextrose. The patient had complete pain relief for approximately 2 months; results similar to the prior steroid injection. The patient now returns for repeat injections every 2-3 months without any concerns for the systemic effects of steroids. Prolotherapy is an injection-based treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Its proposed mechanism for pain relief is the reduction of pain through the strengthening of stretched or torn ligaments. Proponents of prolotherapy believe the injections trigger an influx of granulocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts, which then release of growth factors and ultimately collagen deposition, leading to strengthening of ligaments. Ultimately, this may lead to a reduction in pain and disability. This is the first report, to our knowledge, for the use of prolotherapy to successfully treat Dequervain’s Tenosynovitis and Intersection Syndrome. A 62-year-old female laboratory assistant presented to our clinic with chronic pain of the radial and dorsal aspect of the wrist. The pain was aggravated with an increased use of her hands, and improved with ice and anti-inflammatories. On examination, the patient demonstrated a positive Finkelstein’s test and tenderness over the radial styloid process. A musculoskeletal ultrasound evaluation performed in clinic revealed edema in the 1st dorsal compartment around the flexor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis, confirming the suspicion for a diagnosis of Dequervain’s Tenosynovitis with Intersection Syndrome. An ultrasound-guided steroid injection was subsequently performed in the first dorsal compartment and the intersection of the first and second dorsal compartments of the wrist. The injections provided complete pain relief for approximately 2 months. When the pain returned, the patient did not desire further steroid injections due to concern for its systemic effects. The patient was agreeable to prolotherapy injections, and a repeat injection was performed with a 4mL mixture of 1% lidocaine and 12.5% dextrose. The patient had complete pain relief for approximately 2 months; results similar to the prior steroid injection. The patient now returns for repeat injections every 2-3 months without any concerns for the systemic effects of steroids. Prolotherapy is an injection-based treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Its proposed mechanism for pain relief is the reduction of pain through the strengthening of stretched or torn ligaments. Proponents of prolotherapy believe the injections trigger an influx of granulocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts, which then release of growth factors and ultimately collagen deposition, leading to strengthening of ligaments. Ultimately, this may lead to a reduction in pain and disability. This is the first report, to our knowledge, for the use of prolotherapy to successfully treat Dequervain’s Tenosynovitis and Intersection Syndrome.

Quantitative Cathodic Preparation of Selected Aqueous Reagents Used in an Undergraduate Laboratory

A guide for instructors and laboratory assistants to prepare several aqueous reagents used in an undergraduate laboratory is presented. Dilute reagents consisting of OH–(aq), Fe2+(aq), and Sn2+(aq) were prepared by electrolytic reduction of the respective precursors at the cathode. Concurrently, water was electrolyzed at the anode. A known mass of anhydrous Na2CO3 (a primary standard) was added to the anode compartment. Electrolytically produced H+(aq) ions were titrated in situ against Na2CO3 using bromophenol blue indicator. The electrolysis was promptly stopped when the indicator changed color from blue to yellow. The amount of H+(aq) produced at the anode was determined from the mass of Na2CO3. Because the same current passed through the electrolysis cell, the stoichiometric relation between the cathode and anode reactions facilitated the determination of the reagent prepared at the cathode. The concentration of reagent prepared at the cathode was independently confirmed by the volumetric titration method. The electrolysis cell, powered by 18 V dc power supply, eliminated the requirement of a coulometer or a constant current power source. Setup of an electrolysis cell and experimental details for preparing reagents are presented.

Obituary Georg Gerber (1926-2014).

Georg Gerber was born in Stuttgart on 5 May 1926. Both his parents were medical doctors who together ran a GP practice in Stuttgart. Being a single child, he received a perfect classical humanistic education. Even today, former colleagues when asked about their memories of Georg Gerber first mention his amazingly wide knowledge of literature, arts and music. After graduation from the Eberhard–Ludwigs–Gymnasium in Stuttgart in 1944, Georg Gerber was drafted in October 1944 into the German Army, but was spared from fighting in any serious battle. On his 19th birthday, he became an American prisoner of war and soon was transferred to France to help reconstruct roads and to labour in the fields and vineyards. Two years later, he worked as paramedic in French military hospitals in Alsace, France. After altogether nearly 3 years as prisoner of war Georg Gerber was released. While waiting for an admission in medical school, he worked as laboratory assistant in a Stuttgart hospital and studied physics and astronomy. He began his medical study in winter 1948 in Tubingen, following the example of his parents. However, because of his intense interest in science he also studied biology (zoology and biochemistry) in parallel to medicine. Within 5 years he graduated in both subjects, being awarded a MD for research carried out at the Dermatological Clinic dealing with the radiosensitivity of spermatocytes and a PhD in Biochemistry for research carried out at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (Prof. A. Butenandt) dealing with the reproduction of bacterialike organism, both in the same year 1953. This opened his way to enter the ‘‘Max-Planck-Institut fur Biophysik’’ in Frankfurt. Its director Boris Rajewsky, by the way the founding editor of Radiation and Environmental Biophysics, was the leading radiation scientist in Germany, but not an easy boss. Yet entering the field of radiobiology in 1953 was a perfect choice. Radiobiology was popular at the time because of the widespread concern about the dangers from nuclear weapons. Georg Gerber’s background in biochemistry was perfectly suited to be in the forefront of the new direction of radiobiological research, away from pathology towards the biochemistry of radiation effects. In 1957, he moved to the USA, for 5 years working side by side with his wife Gisela in the Department of Experimental Radiology of the University of Rochester, NY. Publications of this time together with K. Altman addressed mainly the use of radionuclides for the investigation of metabolic biochemical processes in experimental animals. In 1962, he returned to Europe to become associated with the EURATOM programme of the European Commission K. Trott University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy