Two developments in medicine jointly won the first prize in the 2008 Young Scientists and Developers Competition

The competition was held at the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem, sponsored by Intel

Khayel Reder and Yogev Orenstein in technological-medical development together with Yigal Nezer who conducted advanced genetic research. Tonight, the three won first place in the finals of the 2008 Young Scientists and Developers Competition held by the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem under the auspices of "Intel".

Hiel Reder and Yogev Orenstein developed a system based on a simple web camera that captures a mole and performs an analysis of the image according to the method of the four gems: size, tone, geometry and borders. Yigal Nezer found a connection between polyamines* and cell growth The projects won the young scientists the first prize in the prestigious competition

The development of Hiel and Yogev, students of Kiryat Hanoch Maayan - Shahar" in Kibbutz "Ein Horesh" - a computerized system for diagnosing dangerous moles and identifying cancerous moles. This applied and practical solution constitutes an improvement of the test that exists today, and enables the reduction of errors and human errors involved in the current method by reaching a higher level of accuracy. The unique system is based on a simple web camera that photographs the mole and performs an analysis of the image according to the method of the four gems: size, shade, geometry and borders.
If the data processing indicates a high probability of detecting a suspicious mole, the system triggers an alert. In addition, through storage in a medical database, the system enables ongoing monitoring of the tests performed by the user by comparing them with previous test data.

The team of judges in the 2008 Young Scientists and Developers Competition determined that in the innovative and original development, Chael and Yogev contributed to progress and a real breakthrough in the field. The solution, which is a significant advance in the detection and identification of cancerous moles, could serve as a cornerstone for the future development of more complex systems for diagnosing additional skin lesions.

The research work of Yigal Nazer from the Carrari Real Gymnasium in Rishon Lezion, focused on the connection between polyamines and cellular growth - one of the most basic life processes. *Polyamines are carbon chains that play a central role in the growth and division of healthy and malignant cells, whose concentration is controlled by complex mechanisms, including the protein Antizyme Inhibitor (Azl).
During the study, the Azl gene was inserted into the skin cells of the mouse followed by the reporter gene, using a transfection method (insertion of a foreign genetic segment into the cell) and the effect of the cells on Azl protein expression was examined.
Yigal found that the substances serum and epidermal growth factor lead to an increase in the expression of Azl, which plays the role of positive control over the levels of polyamines in the cell, and in addition was able to identify in his research a specific sequence in the control region of the Azl gene, which responds to the growth signals found in the cell serum.

The team of judges in the competition determined that the young scientist's deep and professional interest in his research work led to findings with a welcome contribution, bringing closer the day when it will be possible to develop specific and safe anti-cancer therapies based on polyamines.

Two interesting research papers came in second place in the competition: Amir Sasson, a student at the "Or Torah Stone" high school in Ramot in Jerusalem, followed in his work in the field of law a phenomenon known as the "constitutional revolution" and asked to check whether it was a reality or an illusion?
His research focused on two major issues related to religion and state: recruitment of yeshiva students and the question of "who is a Jew", while examining them along the timeline - before the adoption of Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom and Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation in 1992, after them and nowadays. Amir came to the conclusion that the constitutional revolution did take place and that it has extensive and significant effects both in relation to the Israeli public and in relation to the Knesset and the government, alongside a significant increase in the power of the Supreme Court in its capacity as the High Court.

Yaniv Sade, from the High School for Sciences and Arts in Jerusalem, investigated the meaning of synesthesia using neural network models. Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which stimulation in one sense also evokes a sensation in another sense, which is an important field of research for understanding the development of the brain, learning abilities and adaptation and the way we perceive the world. Sde developed a model of a neuron network to describe the phenomenon, which represents two brain regions that receive different sensory inputs, with the connections between the regions developing according to learning rules that improve the representation of information in the system. Among the interesting results of the study - sensory deprivation may cause the development of synesthesia, as well as the finding that great plasticity (flexibility) between the nerve cells, that is, the ability to learn quickly, may also lead to the development of synesthesia.

The third place in the competition is jointly shared by three research works:
Inbal Fleischer, Alon Gelber and Roi Shahar, students of "Sharet" High School in Netanya, developed a computerized system for the diagnosis and treatment of pressure sores - an area of ​​necrosis in the skin that is formed when temple tissue is pressed between a bone and a hard external surface for an extended period of time.
The unique system they developed facilitates the diagnosis and shortens the processes of identifying the wound and treating it, by applying an innovative method for calculating depth, which is based on mathematical processing of three-dimensional images produced by two cameras. The system offers a non-invasive and painful diagnostic process.

Another research work, in the field of space, is that of Yuri Rozhansky, a soldier, a graduate of Ort Givat Ram College in Jerusalem who studied the distribution of dark matter and super-massive black holes in the centers of galaxies, the formation of which is at the forefront of astrophysical research today.
In order to investigate the distribution of dark matter, Yuri based himself on the observational fact that so far no giant black holes have been seen outside the centers of galaxies and created a unique computer model of a black hole colliding with a galaxy.
His conclusions are a key to further research in the field.

Doron Levin, a comprehensive high school student at Be'er Sheva University, who also won third place in the competition, studied in the field of quantum physics the phenomenon of coherence, which is a measure of a particle's ability to express information.
Doron developed a simple and effective model to describe the phenomenon: a particle on top of a ring in the presence of a simulation of the environment, through which he found that contrary to the current research argument, the duration of the decoherence goes to infinity as the temperature becomes zero - a completely new result in the field of quantum mechanics!

Six other projects were commended.

Yitzhak (Kiki) Ohion, CEO of "Intel" Jerusalem, who is one of the judges, notes with satisfaction: "Intel" supports the competition by believing in the ability and potential inherent in the participants of the competition, who are knowledgeable, curious, and willing to explore and face intellectual challenges. The works they prepared demonstrate this well. I am sure that from this group will emerge important scientists in various fields who will contribute greatly to the future of the State of Israel."

67 youths, from all over the country, participated in the "science race", researched, developed and invented projects in the fields of computers, social sciences, physics, natural and life sciences, technology and biotechnology, chemistry, environment, history and humanities. This year, 120 works reached the final stage of the "Young Scientists and Developers in Israel 2008" competition, which is organized and held by the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem, under the auspices of "Intel" and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.

The 3 young scientists who qualified for first place won a scholarship from Intel, which invests hundreds of millions of dollars around the world in programs that promote technology and science education, and sponsors competitions for young scientists all over the world and especially in Israel. The young scientists who won the first and third places, represented Israel in the prestigious Intel Isef competition of its kind in the world, held in the USA.

They have not yet finished high school and are already scientists
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