Routine ultrasound evaluation of supraclavicular lymph nodes reveals suspicious lymph nodes in a high number of patients with lung cancer. High-resolution US is superior to CT in the detection of pathological lymph nodes. Ultrasound-guided biopsy proves malignancy and thereby a N3 or M1 stage. Thus, more invasive and expensive diagnostic procedures can be avoided.

According to the canalolithiasis theory, benign paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) is caused by gravity-dependent movements of otoconial debris that collects in the endolymph of the posterior semicircular canal. Other parts of the vestibular organ are rarely affected, and it is mainly the horizontal canal that is affected by this atypical form of BPPV. Canalolithiasis of the superior semicircular canal must be considered an anomaly because the superior semicircular canal is the highest point of the vestibular organ and debris normally cannot collect in this special location. Until now, BPPV of the superior canal has mainly been dealt with theoretically in the literature. The authors present three patients with canalolithiasis of the superior semicircular canal and offer direct proof of the condition using high-resolution 3D MRI.

A high level of cost-intensive manual tasks in the manufacturing process of composite parts impedes a further propagation of those innovative structures in important German industrial branches like the automotive sector or aviation. Especially the handling of semi-finished goods in several key process-chains could not be automated efficiently so far due to a great variety of materials and part contours as well as difficult handling properties of the limp, textile parts. Hence within the presented work a highly-flexible gripper system based on low-vacuum-suction is introduced, which is the result of a methodical investigation in the ideal gripping principle. Special actuators and an intelligent control strategy are combined into a selective gripping technology, which allows an automatic adaption of the pressure based holding force to different contours and materials, by closing certain apertures of a perforated plate. The experimental validation of a realized robotic end-effector shows that the challenging requirements of modern composite production could be fulfilled as the structural integrity of the technical textiles is preserved during the handling processes.

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