Professor Pavel Zemanek and his colleagues at the Institute of Scientific Instruments (1St) of the ASCR built a laser that moves tiny spheres of polystyrene floating in water While in science fiction programs such as "Star Trek," tractor beams are used to move massive objects, the unique research published in Nature Photonics (2013, 7, 123-127) is limited to moving microscopic particles. Changing the way the light is polarized changes the direction the spheres move. The ISI scientists also found that at certain sizes, the spheres arrange themselves into neat rows as they move, bound by the light itself. The practical applications could be diverse. The tractor beam is very selective in the properties of the particles it acts upon, so one could pick up specific particles in a mixture. For example, this laser could be used to separate white blood cells. and Luděk Svoboda.
Dr. Petr Jehlička, Snr Lecturer in Environmental Geography at the Open University in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, points out that some twenty-five years after the end of socialism, between one and two thirds of the East European middle classes still continue to grow some of the food consumed in their households - mostly not for economic reasons but primarily as their hobby. Nevertheless, social sciences in the West and a considerable part of scientific literature on home gardening in the global North continue to view this informal food production in Eastern Europe as an activity of mainly disadvantaged segments of society. He argues, moreover, that concepts generated in the Western context, where this activity is only marginal, are considered as universal knowledge, while data gathered in Eastern Europe, where household food production is dominant, are viewed as marginal and less interesting. He also describes ways in which Eastern Europe can contribute to broad international debates about this issue and various other topics in social sciences. and Jana Olivová.
Vede Výzkumné centrum Dvory a rezidence ve středověku, píše odborné knihy o životě na středověkých dvorech a překládá veršované eposy ze staré němčiny 13. století. Zároveň si však umí ušít středověké šaty dobovou technikou nebo vyzkoušet vaření podle dochovalých středověkých receptů. Bádání v historických pramenech i méně obvyklé experimentální přistupy pomáhají Daně Dvořáčkové-Malé z Historického ústavu AV ČR lépe pochopit vytyčený objekt věděckého zájmu - každodenní život panovníckých dvorů a obyvatel středověku. and Leona Matušková, Stanislava Kyselová, Václav Kořínek.
This comment was made by Professor Jiří Drahoš a renowned physical chemist, interviewed for a feature article in this issue. The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR) has been observing this year the 20th anniversary of its inception, this one being another in the series. Professor Drahoš has been president of the ASCR since 2009. Since then, Professor Drahoš has been facing the government's decisions to cut the Academy's budget every year. He has worked at the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the ASCR since 1977, holding various positions, including research scientist, senior research scientist, Department Head, Deputy Director (1992-1995) and Director (1996-2003). His principal research interest is multiphase chemical reactors. He has published more than 60 original papers in impacted international journals and is a co-inventor of four international and holds 10 Czech patents. According to Science Citation Index and other sources, his scientific papers have been cited more than 700 times. In 1977 he was awarded the Medal of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (CSAS). and Marina Hužvárová.
The Seventh Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society together with the First Conference of the Slovak Society for Neuroscience was jointly convened in Prague November 1-4, 2009. The conference was held in conjunction with 7th International Stem School in Regenerative Medicine, which offered Ph.D. students and young researchers the opportunity to discuss with prominent scientists in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine stands at the forefront of current medical research as scientists seek to better understand regenerative abilities of our cells and tissues and to use these abilities to enable the rescue and repair of damaged tissue resulting from injury or disease. and Luděk Svoboda.
We feature an interview with Pavel Kindlmann, professor of ecology at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, who performs research on various aspects of biodiversity as head of the Biodiversity Research Centre in Šumava National Park in the Bohemian Forest. Bark beetles, which have become a heated issue with a political dimension, are the focus of his study. On one side, some experts demand that natural processes be allowed to take their course, even if that menas the bark beetle would destroy most of that forest. On the other side, experts are insisting on intervention. Anti-intervention forces are supporting the Biodiversity Research Centre. and Luděk Svoboda.
We feature and interview with Professor Curt Rice, who is an American-born Norwegian linguist and the rector of Oslo and Akershus College. He is the first rector of his institution who was not elected; he began his rectorship on August 1, 2015. Professor Rice promotes gender equality, open access and other issues related to leadership in higher education. He will be the key speaker at the 4th national conference on gender and science, which is to take place on June 22, 2016. The conference is organized by the Centre for Gender and Science of the Isntitute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. and Naďa Straková.