Soon after becoming the head of the Academy of Sciences in 2009, Professor Drahoš was faced with questions concerning the very survival of the institution and a crisis in funding caused by a wrong methodology of evaluation. During the past year, the Academy engaged in an evaluation of its 54 institutions. All of this involved a considerable amount of work. The electoral term of Professor Drahoš’s presidency is nearing its completion, so this affords an opportunity for a succinct recapitulation of his achievements. and Marina Hužvárová.
Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Aquatic Sciences (AQUAFLUO) Conference in Nové Hrady between May 28 and June 1 was the first of its kind and enabled researchers from a variety of fields to discuss current aquatic research problems. Addressing the conference was Prof. Paul Falkowski of Rutgers University, a member of prestigious (U.S.) National Academy of Sciences and specialist in Geological Sciences and Marine and Coastal Sciences. As such he is engaged in iron fertilizer for phytoplankton and phytoplankton´s role in the carbon dioxide cycle. Professor Falkowski gave Academic Bulletin a brief interview. and Gabriela Štefániková.
This issue includes an interview with Dr. Radomír Pánek, head of Tokamak Department of the Institute of Plasma Physics of the ASCR. Dr. Pánek's team observed the distinctive H-mode operation for the first time (on November 29, 2012) since the Tokamak was reinstalled in the IPP in 2008. The H-mode (high confinement mode) refers to a sudden improvement of plasma confinement in the magnetic field of tokamaks (by about a factor of two) which is foreseen as the standard mode of operation for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The H-mode pedestal forms near the plasma transport barrier, located behind the improved plasma confinement. Greater insight into the physics of this narrow plasma region is required to enhance control of the power flux, plasma heating and the Edge Localized Mode (ELM) instabilities in fusion reactors. and Luděk Svoboda.
The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has been observing the 20'" anniversary of its inception. This month we feature an interview with Professor Helena Illnerova of the Institute of Physiology of the ASCR, the first woman to be elected of the ASO? president of the ASCR. Professor Illnerova is one of the leading Czech scientists, having begun her work in the 1960s. Her main research interest is the time-keeping program of mammals, including man, and the synchronization of the circadian biological clock with the 24-hour-day and seasons of the year. In 1990, she received a DrSc. degree for a doctoral thesis entitled Regulation of Circadian Rhythms in the Rat Pineal Gland. and Marina Hužvárová.
During the Brain Awareness Week, held worldwide annually in March, neuroscientists and other brain scientists seek to promote understanding of the progress and benefits of brain research by informing the general public concerning their research activities and their achievements. Brain Awareness Week was created in the USA by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in 1996. The fourteenth year of the Brain Awareness Week in the Czech Republic occurred on March 12, 2012. Events were held the ASCR’s main building. We feature an interview in this issue with neurosurgeon Professor Eduard Zvěřina, who is the founder of microsurgery in the Czech Republic. and Gabriela Adámková.
Earlier this month, the Czech media reported that a highly efficient antiviral drug developed by Czech scientists has been shelved, reportedly for fear it would compete with existing medicines manufactured by pharmaceutical giants. The substance, known as MK-612, was designed at the Academy´s Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. Academic Bulletin interviewed Zdeněk Havlas, headmaster of the Institute, about next stage in the future of this efficient substance MK-612. and Marina Hužvárová.