The Topic of this Issue

Brazil – Decades of Growth

The topic of this issue is „Brazil – decades of growth“. This big South-American country is seventh in the world in terms of economic development. It is among the wealthiest countries of the world in terms of natural resources. In contrast to Siberia, where it is often impossible to work in winter, in Brazil, thanks to its favourable climate, everything is accessible throughout the year. Brazil has a great number of universities and scientific institutions, implementing their own space and nuclear programs, Brazil has production of passenger and cargo aircrafts, it is a leader in modern architecture, a pioneer in numerous technological and medical fields. The Amazon region is a key oxygen and sweet water reservoir for the Earth. There are Serbian scientific institutions which cooperate with the relevant educational centres in Brazil.

Education

Mathematical Grammar School in Belgrade

The Mathematical Grammar School has been operating in Belgrade for 47 years and is the only such secondary school in the wider region. Since 2007 it has the status of „school of special national interest“. It has won more than 350 medals and other awards at international mathematics competitions, which is almost unprecedented in global terms. The school has also won a number of relevant national awards. When the school was first established, only three applicants applied for enrolment, and presently this school is the target of many young and talented mathematicians. The school principal, Srđan Ognjanović, who is speaking of the school's success, is himself a graduate of the Mathematical Grammar School.

Tesla Forum

Everything is Electricity

At Iriški Venac, in the vicinity of Novi Sad, in the period 12- 15 September, a scientific-educational and spiritual festival was held titled „Nikola Tesla - Secret Connection Summit“, dedicated to the life and work of the great scientist and inventor. The event was organised as a series of daily lectures on technical inventions and utilisation of electrical energy, on Tesla's scientific legacy and a series of globally relevant issues related to this legacy.
The thematic block titled „Nikola Tesla – the Pride of the Serbian Diaspora and of Serbs in the Region“ raised special interest, and during this thematic block the speakers were young people from these parts who have, much like Tesla, in searching for new discoveries, studied at the most distinguished world universities and acquired academic titles from such universities. At the closure of the Forum, awards were given („White Dove“) to individuals and institutions which have made special contribution to disseminating knowledge on Nikola Tesla, his work and his legacy..

Chemistry

At Waters School LC/MS

At the Universities de Vest Timisoara, at the beginning of October, the First Romanian LC/MS School was held (liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry). This international technical seminar featured presentations by distinguished international experts in analytical chemistry, at the Faculty of Chemistry, Biology, and Geography. Serbian company Krug International contributed to the seminar through a EU supported regional cooperation project, and supplied the laboratory with equipment produced by US company Waters.

Medicine

Chronic Inflammatory Intestines Disease

Is the incidence of ulcerous colitis and Crohn's disease increasing, or are these diseases better diagnosed – this is still to be seen, but it is interesting to note that their incidence is greatest in the most developed countries in the world. These are diseases of the digestive tract – explains Professor Dr Aleksandar Pavlović Marković, a specialist of internal medicine at the Clinical Centre of Serbia and a consultant at the general hospital Bel Medic in Belgrade. The above diseases have a milder and more severe form, acute stages and periods in which symptoms withdraw, however their main severity is that they interfere seriously with the quality of life of patients.

Medicine

Hematuria

Presence of blood in urine is not a disease which requires treatment, but it is a very relevant symptom in urology which may indicate, among other things, a malignant disease of some part of the urinary tract. The cause of hematuria needs to be accurately determined. If blood is not visible in urine, the presence is detected by microscopic urine test. This is the topic discussed by Professor Dr Miodrag Lazić, until recently director of the Urology Clinic of the Clinical-Hospital Centre „Dr Dragiša Mišović“, currently consultant of the general hospital Bel Medic.

Exhibition

Autochthonous Fruit Varieties

The Gallery of Science and Technology of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts in Belgrade in September this year staged an exhibition titled „Traditional and Lost Fruits of Serbia“. This is about fruit trees which sometimes are more than a hundred years old, some of which still yield abundant fruit. Those fruit varieties are disappearing and some are not well known. For instance, who knows that the plum arrived in Serbia thanks to Alexander the Great and the Turks from Asia Minor, or that the apricot came from China. The Natural Museum in Belgrade has more than 18 boxes of herbarium materials with samples of fruit which used to grow in the past in the territory of Serbia and which is no longer grown.

Astro-Biology

Planets where Life is Possible

Christen Menow, professor of astronomy at the Columbia University, author of the recently published study of exoplanets circling around the so-called „red dwarfs“ of class M. They make up three quarters of all planets in our galaxy. They are small stars, with total mass of about 10-20% of the mass of the Sun.
What could these worlds be like –if there are any? It is assumed on the daily side of the planet there may be an ocean of running water, while the other side is made up of eternal ice.

Legends

Alien Civilisations

Did it happen at some time in the very distant past, in the dawn of civilisation, that we were visited by aliens, or are we visited by aliens at present? The founder of this fantastic theory is the French writer Jacques Bergier (novel „Dawn of a Magician“) who has, much earlier than Erich von Denican, wrote first articles of ancient astronauts. His theory resulted in the creation of the discipline known as clipeology, whose main objective is to explain many ancient riddles in the history of humanity. One such phenomenon is the visit of aliens to our planet.

Energy

Serbia Powered by Solar Energy

The photovoltaic effect, or the transformation of light energy into electrical energy, has been known since the 19th century. It was discovered in 1839that certain materials exposed to light rays produce low intensity electricity. During the 1960's, thanks to space research, there was a sudden surge of interest in photovoltaic cells; it was necessary to equip satellites and spaceships with a reliable source of electricity. During space-related research, huge progress was achieved in developing the technology of photovoltaic cells.
Current developments are aimed at doing the same at the everyday practical level. Serbia has favourable climatic conditions for the introduction of solar photovoltaic cells, but this potential has not yet been utilised.

Illyrians

Mosaic of Diverse Nations or ...