http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A letters@croatia.org Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:57:48 +0000 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11444/1/Ping-Pong-Parkinson-World-Championship-Italy-2025-Lignano-Sabbiadoro-October-20-26.html Announcing important events for three consecutive years. Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship Italy 2025 Lignano Sabbiadoro October 20-26. Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship Germany 2026 Hanover September 24-October 1. Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship Switzerland 2027 Magglinger October 12-17. We build neurons! darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 23 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11442/1/Tomislav-Gavranic-1937-2025-Croatian-doctor-of-Aboriginal-Health-in-Australia.html Tomislav Gavraniæ, born in Croatia on the island of Korèula (in the town of Blato), was very passionate, loyal and dedicated to the Aboriginal people which we all know. This was shown in both his private and working life. He was honoured whilst working in Gove to be initiated into the Marika Clan in Yirrkala. His aboriginal family kept in contact and they would come to visit, where many a story was told around a very multicultural table. We provide a text written by Mrs. Tuga Tarle, in Croatian. It was a part of her PhD thesis, and included into her very interesting monograph published in 2024 in Zagreb. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 29 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11440/1/Darko-Vodopich-CEO-of-Global-Med-Travels.html Darko's extensive background in both medicine and travel gives him a unique perspective in the medical tourism industry. His journey from guiding travelers across Europe to founding and leading GlobalMedTravels shows a seamless integration of his passions for healthcare and global exploration. With over 30 years of experience in the medical field across various regions in the USA and Europe, his deep knowledge of both patient care and international travel positions him as a key figure in making healthcare accessible worldwide. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 12 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11434/1/Indian-Mathematics-Day-in-Croatia-2024.html About 40 mathematicians plus several guests have participated at the meeting honoring the birth of Srinivasa Ramanujan, the greatest Indian mathematician in history. This yearly event, already fourth in order, was organized at the Mathematics Department of the Faculty of Science of the University of Zagreb. The principal sponsors were the Embassy of India, the mentioned Math Department, along with the Croatian Mathematical Society (its president Professor Vesna ®upanoviæ is on the photo), and the Croatian-Indian Society. Three short, but very interesting 15 min lectures were delivered by distinguished Croatian experts Andrej Dujella, Zvonimir ©ikiæ, and Mirko Primc. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 21 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11430/1/Nenad-Bach-speaking-at-TEDx-Zagreb-PingPong-vs-Parkinson-Uncommon-Solution-Nov-21-2024.html In 2010, Nenad was diagnosed with Parkinson. In 2017, he launched PingPongParkinson" - a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping as many people as possible find relief from Parkinson symptoms by playing ping pong. This initiative has quickly evolved into a global movement spanning 25 countries and five World Championships. The organization's story is captured in a recently published book, "PingPongParkinson": It Started with a Tremor and It's Shaking Up the World". On November 21, 2024, Nenad will release his seventh album. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 01 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11423/1/Nenad-Sestan-distinguished-Croatian-expert-in-neuroscience-comparative-medicine-genetics-and-psychiatry.html a darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 03 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11414/1/Andrej-Dujella-Diophantine-m-tuples-and-Elliptic-Curves-published-by-Springer-Cham-2024.html Andrej Dujella is a leading Croatian expert in Number Theory. This book provides an overview of the main results and problems concerning Diophantine m-tuples, i.e., sets of integers or rationals with the property that the product of any two of them is one less than a square, and their connections with elliptic curves. It presents the contributions of famous mathematicians of the past, like Diophantus, Fermat and Euler, as well as some recent results of the author and his collaborators. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11408/1/The-Xth-Dubrovnik-International-Conference-on-the-Sanskrit-Epics-and-Puranas---DICSEP-2023.html darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 31 May 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11398/1/Exploring-Tesla-at-the-Czech-Technical-University-in-Prague---four-lecturers-from-Croatia.html Nikola Tesla Network is a Croatian NGO placed in the city of Gospiæ, very near the village of Smiljan where N. Tesla (1856-1943) was born. This NGO has organized, in cooperation with the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia, an interesting event entitled "Exploring Tesla", in which four lecturers from Croatia have participated on 11th January 2024: Dubravka Davidoviæ, Darko ®ubriniæ, Martina Maru¹iæ-Britvec, and Boris ©u¹njar (on the photo). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 24 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11382/1/Nikola-Tesla-1856-1943-the-father-of-Radio-Technology-and-Wireless-Communication-since-1893.html The principles of Radio Communication and Wireless Communication were layed down by Nikola Tesla, distinguished Croatian - American inventor, in 1893, during his spectacular public lecture in the St Louis concert hall, in front of 5000 people. The event was described in detail by Margaret Chaney in her monograph Tesla / Man Out of Time, in Chapter 6 entitled Radio. We provide an important testimony by William Gundry Broughton, son of Henry Primm Broughton (1865-1959) who served as Tesla's assistant during his lecture in St. Louis. Nikola Tesla is the precurusor of mobile-phone technology for more than hundred years. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 21 Jul 2023 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11361/1/MICROBLINK-a-mobile-vision-software-development-company-founded-in-Croatia-in-2012.html Microblink is a mobile vision software development company. BlinkID enables scanning of over 100 international identity documents including driving licenses, national identity cards, passports and others. PDF417 SDK or WEB API enables scanning and parsing 1D and 2D barcodes such as QR, PDF417, and others. PhotoPay SDK captures payment information from standardized and non-standard payment slips and it's often used in mobile banking apps. BlinkReceipt SDK captures raw OCR data or structured information from retail receipts. This technology grew out from experience accumulated from PhotoMath, created by Jurica Cerovec and his colleagues in Croatia's capital Zagreb. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 22 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11353/1/Croatian---Indian-Links-monograph-marking-30-years-of-diplomatic-relations-1992-2022.html The publication Croatian-Indian Links: Thirty Chapters for Thirty Years of Diplomatic Relations (1992-€"2022) marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between and India and Croatia and highlights a legacy in which the contributions of our writers, scholars, artists, travellers, politicians are unified in one volume. Some chapters in the volume present certain important individuals and others present some themes or groups of individuals. Preparing this publication was suggested by H. E. Mr. Raj Kumar Srivastava, ambassador of India to Croatia (on the photo). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 29 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11347/1/Nenad-Bach--PingPongParkinson-appearing-at-ESPN--Princess-Zeina-Rashid-of-Jordan-visited-the-WTTC.html ESPN produced segment about Nenad Bach and his journey through diagnosis of Parkinson. ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American-based global cable and satellite television channel. Her Royal Highness, Princess Zeina Rashid of Jordan, visited the WTTC (World Table Tennis Center) on Sunday, February 6th 2022, as the first stop on her visit to New York metro area to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the global non-profit PingPongParkinson. The purpose of Princess Zeina's visit to the New York Metro area was to participate in celebrating and promoting the growth of PingPongParkinson. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11346/1/Mladen-Bestvina-delivered-a-plenary-lecture-at-International-Congress-of-Mathematicians-for-2022.html Professor Mladen Bestvina (on the photo with his wife) is a Croatian-Americna mathematician, born in 1959 in the city of Osijek, Croatia. He completed his studies of Mathematics at the University of Zagreb. He was a successful competitor at International Mathematical Olympiads for High School students. In the past twenty years he achieved spectacular results in Geometric Group Theory, for which he had an honor of delivering a plenary lecture on 10th July 2022 at the International Congress of Mathematicians. The ICM is organized every fourth year, and for each Congress about 14 pleanry lecturers are chosen who had the most important contributions in the field of Mathematical sciences in the previous period. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 12 Aug 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11343/1/Nikola-Tesla-connecting-India-and-Croatia.html On 2nd and 3rd July 2022, an excursion was organized by the Croatian-Indian Society in Zagreb (CIS), jointly with CIGRE-Croatia. The aim was to learn more about Nikola Tesla's education in Croatia (Tesla spent the first 20 years of his life in Croatia) and about his role in the history of Electrical Engineering. The first day, we visited the Museum of the Castle of Ozalj and two Hydroelectric plants of Ozalj on the beautiful Kupa river. The second day, we visited the city of Gospiæ and the village of Smiljan, where Nikola Tesla was born. Among 14 participants of the excursion, there were five citizens of India. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 25 Jul 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11338/1/Nikola-Teslas-lecture-in-the-city-of-Zagreb-in-1892.html Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was born in Croatia, where he spent his young formative years. Out of his 87 years, he spent the first 20 in Croatia, and in the USA about 60 years. In 1892 he visited the city of Zagreb, where he was invited by Milan Amru¹, the Mayor of the city. On May 24th, 1892, Nikola Tesla presented some of his advices how to electrify the city using his AC (alternating current) polyphase system. On this occasion, he said the following: "I consider it as my duty, as a native son of this country, to assist the Zagreb City Council in this matter and help in every way I can." Tesla arrived to Zagreb on 22nd May, and left it on 26th May. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 20 May 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11330/1/Romain-Rollands-1924-book-quotMahatma-Gandhiquot-translated-into-Croatian-as-quotNa-Gandhiquot-Our-Gandhi.html Romain Rolland's book was published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi (celebrated in 2019), and Stjepan Radiæ (honored in the year 2021). The original Croatian version of the book was published in 1924, entitled "Na¹ Gandhi" (Our Gandhi!). Issuing this reprint was suggested by Mr. Joginder Singh Nijjar, the president of Croatian-Indian Society in Zagreb. It appeared under the auspices of highest Croatian political, cultural and scientific institutions, as well as under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of India to Croatia. We provide a presentation of the reprint written by Ante Beliæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 16 Feb 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11335/1/Betiana-Bellofatto-published-her-photobook-8220Terra-Australis-Aedificanda8221-in-Ushuaia-2021.html Betiana Bellofatto published her photobook published in Ushuaia in 2021: Terra Australis Aedificanda (Southern Land To Be Built). Born in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Betiana Bellofatto studied Audiovisual Design and Photography. She has performed as direction and production assistant in several fictional short-films and commercial spots. In 2009, in Berlin, she co-founded i Collective, a multicultural artist collective that works on multidisciplinary projects. Her activity combines photography, installation, art in the public space and internet art. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 14 Feb 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11325/1/Tomislav-Sikic-delivered-a-lecture-about-Srinivasa-Ramanujan-a-famous-Indian-mathematician.html Tomislav ©ikiæ, Assocuate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Zagreb, delivered a lecture dedicated to Srinivasa Ramanujan, the most famous Indian mathematician in history. Croatian mathematicians have contributed twelve scientific papers in The Ramanujan Journal. Also, as many as 23 Indian mathematicians are (or have been) members of specialized math journals in Croatia, published by Element co. Two Croatian mathematicians, Professors Hrvoje ©ikiæ and Zoran Vondraèek, have earned their PhD's under the guidance of distinguished Indian mathematician Murali Rao, University of Florida. A few Croatian mathematicians were invited lecturers in Indian scientific institutions. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 26 Dec 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11298/1/Alex-Grossmann-1930-2019-distinguished-Croatian-French-mathematician-a-founder-of-Wavelet-Theory.html Alex Grossmann (Alexander, Alexandre) was born in the city of Zagreb, where he completed his studies of Physics at the University of Zagreb, and earned his PhD in 1955, at that time employed at the Ruðer Bo¹koviæ Institute in Croatia's capital. He spent the period between 1955 and 1965 in the USA, working among others at the Insitutute of Advanced Study, Princeton, and at the Courant Insitutue of Mathematics, NY. Since 1965 he was employed at the University of Marseille in France. This Croatian-French mathematician is considered as a father of Wavelet Theory, due to his groundbreaking joint work with French geophysicist Jean Morlet in 1984. He was a thesis advisor to distinguished Belgian physicist and mathematician Ingrid Daubechies. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 14 May 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11294/1/Andrej-Dujellas-monograph-Number-Theory-translated-from-Croatian.html Andrej Dujella, of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is distinguished Croatian mathematician, expert in Number Theory. His monograph Teorija brojeva, written in Croatian, saw its translation into English in 2021: Number Theory. It is primarily intended for students of mathematics and related faculties who attend courses in number theory and its applications. However, it can also be useful to advanced high school students who are preparing for mathematics competitions in which at all levels, from the school level to international competitions, number theory has a significant role, and for doctoral students and scientists in the fields of number theory, algebra and cryptography. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 19 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11283/1/Andro-Mikelic-1956-2020-distinguished-Croatian-mathematician-in-France.html Andro Mikeliæ's very great scientific talent earned him deserved awards: he was a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2014, he received the InterPore Procter and Gamble Award for Porous Media Research in 2012, after being awarded the W. Romberg Guest Professorship of the University of Heidelberg in 2011. He had collaborations with researchers from all over the world: from France, from the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and of course, from his native Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 31 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11281/1/PingPongParkinson-Virtual-Reality-Championship-April-11-2021.html PingPongParkinson has announced the launch of PingPongParkinson Virtual Reality World Championships slated for April 11, 2021. This year's tournament is the first-ever virtual reality (VR) parkinson's world table tennis championships, coming after Ping Pong Parkinson, alongside the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and International Table Tennis Federation Foundation (ITTF Foundation) partnered in 2019 to host an inaugural world table tennis championship for players with Parkinson's Disease. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 18 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11271/1/Croatia-shining-in-2020.html I am sure that many of you, like me, have lived about ten lifetimes this year, the most chaotic, stressful, unpredictable and scary perhaps ever. But we are still here, hanging on, and hoping for better things. But 2020 was not such a disaster for everyone. In fact, if you take a step back from all the doom and gloom and try and look on the brighter side of life, there is an awful lot of positivity to celebrate, especially if you are Croatian. In an effort to balance the understandable depressive posts on the web, here is an ode of recognition to 25 things which made Croatia shine in the pandemic year of 2020. On the photo, an amazing cat-like Croatian island. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 15 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11269/1/MIRET-ecological-sneakers-made-with-97-natural-materials.html Hrvoje and Domagoj Boljar, from the town of Duga Resa near the city of Karlovac, Croatia: "We are industry insiders who have inherited a factory from our father in our 20s. We have manufactured sneakers for some of the most famous high-end brands in the world. We realised that the footwear industry is horrible to the environment. So we set out to use our manufacturing experience to really redesign shoes from bottom up and make them compatible with nature. Step into durable and comfy unisex sneakers and leave no toxic legacy to the next generations that will walk the Earth." darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 03 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11268/1/Marina-Jurica-singing-meteorologist-lead-commentator-for-NASAs-Jet-Propulsion-Laboratory-since-2019.html Marina Jurica graduated from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) with two degrees: one in Meteorology and the other in Opera Performance. She is persuing both of her passions. She worked in Orlando, Florida, before becoming chief meteorologist at CBS47 in 2016. She was the first female chief meteorologist in the USA, and is still one of the few female chiefs. She appeared as professional opera singer in the Canadian tour of "Les Miserables" and debuted her own show "Seasons of Love" on Broadway in 2018. Her father is from the island of Lastovo, and mother from the city of Opatija, both in Croatia: "I am a first generation American, my ENTIRE family is Croatian. Growing up in a Croatian home and French immersion school, I became tri-lingual quickly.". On the photo, Marina Jurica is with her son John. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 01 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11243/1/TESLA-T-unit-for-magnetic-flux-density-introduced-in-1960-in-Paris.html TESLA is a unit for magnetic induction, that is, of the magnetic flux density, introduced in 1960 (October 18th) in Paris by the General Conference on Weights and Measures. It is a part of basic SI derived units. With this article, we mark 60 years since introducing this important unit. In his autobiography published in 1919, Tesla wrote: "I had become intensely interested in electricity under the stimulating influence of my Professor of Physics, who was an ingenious man and often demonstrated the principles by apparatus of his own invention." The name of Tesla's professor, when he was at the age of 14-17, was Martin Sekuliæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 31 Jul 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11231/1/Zeljko-Zuanovic-Croatian-priest-and-his-wonderful-world-of-sea-shells.html ®eljko Zuanoviæ is a Croatian catholic priest, with an interesting hobby: he collects see shells throughout the world. His collection of about 2500 shells is since 2020 exhibited in the village of Marijanci, a few kilometers of Valpovo the NE of Croatia. We recommend you to pay a visit to his collection of shells. Surprisingly, rev. Zuanoviæ was born in continental part of Croatia, and his other hobbies include diving, singing, cooking and writing poetry. He has published a wonderful book entitled The World of Shells. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 25 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11227/1/Ragusa-Dubrovnik-in-Croatia-and-Ragusa-on-the-island-of-Sicily-in-Italy.html The article deals with erroneous interpretation of the Ragusa veduta dating from 1695, kept at the National and University Library in Zagreb, Croatia (and there are numerous copies kept in other European libraries, the first edition originating from 1638). It was published Matthaeus Merian Sr., but it does not represent the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) in Croatia, but Ragusa on the island of Sicily in Italy. Most of the authors do not distinguish between Matthaeus Merian Sr. and his son Matthaeus Merian Jr., which has caused numerous mistakes and contradictions. It is interesting that Matthaeus Merian Jr. (on the photo) prepared a well known veduta of the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa in Croatia) in flames, after the 1667 earthquake, and not his father (who has died 17 years earlier, in 1650). darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Ivana Marija Vidovic and Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 07 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11228/1/Franka-Miriam-Brueckler-author-of-three-math-books-published-by-Springer.html Franka Miriam Brueckler, employed at the Department of Mathematics of the University of Zagreb, has published already three mathematical books with Springer Verlag, all of them in German langague. The first two deal with the History of Mathematics, while the third one, which appeared in 2019, is dedicated to mathematical foundations of chrystallography (for both mathematicians and natural scientists): Mathematische Grundlagen der Kristallographie fuer Matthematiker und Naturwissenschaftler. The last book has 207 pp, accompanied with more than 100 drawings and several tables. Congratulations to the author for her fine work! darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 06 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11221/1/Danica-Kragic-Jensfelt-leads-a-robotic-project-funded-by-European-Research-Council.html Distinguished Croatian scientist Prof. Danica Kragiæ Jensfelt, Ph.D., professor of computer science at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm and a member of the International Scientific Council of the University of Rijeka, has won a kind of "scientific Oscar" for 2019. Her project Bimanual Manipulation of Rigid and Deformable Objects has been selected as one of 82 projects in the field of physical sciences and engineering to be funded by the European Research Council (ERC). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 22 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11207/1/Celebrating-22nd-February-the-Day-of-Croatian-Glagolitic-Script-and-Glagolitism.html On 22nd Febrary, 1483, the first Croatian printed book has appeared in the Glagolitic Script. It shows that Croatian glagolitic priests were able to adopt very early Gutenberg's technology of movable type. Only 12 copies of the books have been preserved, 5 of them kept in Croatia, and 7 scattered throughout the world: in the Russian National Library (former Russian Imperial Library) in St Petersburg, in the Austrian National Library in Vienna (former Austrian Royal Library), in the Vatican Apostolic Library (two copies), and in the Library of Congress in Washington. On the photo a monument to Gutenberg in Zagreb from cc. 1890, the first one in Europe appearing outside of German speaking area. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 21 Feb 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11206/1/Croatian-Post-successfully-made-its-first-drone-delivery-in-Feb-2020.html The drone flew autonomously, from the Zadar port of Ga¾enica to Preko on the island of Ugljan at a speed of 35 km/h, for about 12 minutes. This flight is a part of a pilot project with the Croatian company AIR-RMLD which develops commercial and industrial services using drones. Drones have already proved their usefulness in crisis situations, for example, when medicine or antidotes needed to be delivered in hard to reach areas. Today, Croatian Post is testing smart solutions faster and more often than ever before - from augmented reality goggles, pallet-carrier robots to electric vehicles and drones. On the photo, the city of Dubrovnik seen by a drone. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 20 Feb 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11200/1/Nikola-Teslas-schooling-in-Croatia-lecture-at-the-Embassy-of-the-Republic-of-Croatia-in-Paris-2020.html AMCA-Paris (association of former students of Croatian universities, living in Paris), organized a lecture delivered at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Paris, dealing with the schooling of Nikola Tesla in Croatia during his formative years (from his 14th to 17 year). His most important professor from that period is Martin Sekuliæ, for who Tesla writes to be an ingenious man who enthused him for electricity. On the amusing photo from 1941 we can see Nikola Tesla (on the right, two years before his death) with Croatian-American boxer Fritzie Zivic, then the welter weight champion of the world. This is the only known photo on which Nikola Tesla smiles. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 30 Jan 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11198/1/Nikola-Teslas-schooling-in-Croatia-and-his-professor-of-physics-Martin-Sekulic.html Here is Tesla's description of Martin Sekuliæ, his professor of Physics at the Higher Real School in Rakovac (near the city of Karlovac in Croatia, when Tesla was at the age of 14-17): I had become intensely interested in electricity under the stimulating influence of my Professor of Physics, who was an ingenious man and often demonstrated the principles by apparatus of his own invention... It is impossible for me to convey an adequate idea of the intensity of feeling I experienced in witnessing his exhibitions of these mysterious phenomena. Every impression produced a thousand echoes in my mind... Source: Electrical Experimenter, New York, April 1919. Nikola Tesla's live portrait by Croatian painter Ivan Benkoviæ, is on the left, shown for the first time to broad public. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 18 Jan 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11197/1/Golden-formula-of-Croatian-language-quotEA---KAJ---TOquot.html The golden formula of the Croatian language "ÈA - KAJ - ©TO" is a Croatian intangible cultural asset listed on the List of Intangible Cultural Property of the Republic of Croatia in November 2019. The author, Dr Drago ©tambuk, is proponent and author of the concept of preservation of knowledge and practices provided by the close connection of Croatian language. We also announce the Scientific Conference on Computer Linguistics and the Golden Formula of the Croatian Language, to be held on May 22 to 23, 2020 in the city of Osijek. On the photo is the Petris Glagolitic Miscellany from 1468, written in all three Croatian dialects: èakavian, kajkavian and ¹tokavian. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 16 Jan 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11184/1/Nikola-Teslas-autobiography-quotMy-Inventionsquot-published-by-Electrical-Experimenter-in-1919.html With this article, we mark the centennial of Nikola Tesla's autobiography "My Inventions" in the USA. Nikola Tesla wrote that at the age of 14, "My studies were continued at the Higher Real Gymnasium in Carlstadt, Croatia ,... I had become intensely interested in electricity under the stimulating influence of my Professor of Physics, who was an ingenious man and often demonstrated the principles by apparatus of his own invention." The name of his professor was Martin Sekuliæ, who was not only a high school teacher, but also an active scientist. During Tesla's schooling in Carlstadt (now Karlovac), Sekuliæ became an associate memeber of JAZU in Zagreb (now Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts), in the department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 15 Dec 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11185/1/ITTF-Parkinsons-World-Championships-sucessful-debut-in-2019.html Twelve countries participated at the First ITTF Ping Pong Parkinson Competition, organized in New York, October 11-13 2019: Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, USA. A few countries announced that they will start to organize their national competitions. Congratulations to the organizeras of the competition, and in particular to the idea and intiative of Nenad Bach (on the photo). €œThe idea behind this Championship is to help as many people around the world as possible to continue living with Parkinson's Disease and to be happy, productive members of the society. We are also engaging the scientific community to look deeper into the health benefits of table tennis. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 19 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11192/1/Daniel-Gajski-electronic-design-automation-scientist-earns-Test-of-Time-Recognition-2019.html Daniel Gajski is an influential electronic design automation scientist with more than 40 years of intensive engagement in industry and academia. He is considered among the founding fathers of new electronic design methods that reach toward higher levels of abstractions and their relationship to system architectures, and is a leader in establishing the fields of silicon compilation, high-level synthesis and system-level design. Gajski is originally from Croatia where he earned his undergraduate and master'€™s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Zagreb. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania for his doctorate in computer and information sciences. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 10 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11182/1/Vladimir-Novak-Croatians-in-America-fascinating-photomonograph-published-in-2018.html  Vladimir Novak (1928-2016) darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 27 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11181/1/Professor-Davor-Pavuna-distinguished-Croatian-physicist-speaks-about-Artificial-Intelligence.html In his very interesting lecture delivered at the University of Osijek, professor Davor Pavuna, Croatian physicist living in Switzerland, describes global trends in the development of Artifical Intelligence. We also provide an interview with Professor Pavuna, published in Croatia by Matematièko-fizièki list. Born in 1952 in the city of Koprivnica, he studied Physics at the University of Zagreb, and is since 1988 employed at the presitigious Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne (EPFL), where now he holds the position of Professor Emeritus. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 14 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11173/1/Radoslav-Katicic-1930-2019-distinguished-Croatian-linguist-in-Vienna.html Professor Radoslav Katièiæ was born in Croatia's capital Zagreb in 1930, where he studied philology and earned his PhD. During the period of 1960-61 he was a stipendist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Tuebingen. After the return to the University of Zagreb, he became a docent on Indo-European and general linguistics. Soon after, he served as a head of the newly formed Department for General Linguistics and Oriental Studies. In 1966 he became associate, and in 1973 full professor. Beside general and Indo-European linguistics, he also taught Old Iranian and Old Indic philology. In 1977 he became full professor of Slavic philology at the University of Vienna, Austria. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 27 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11156/1/Nenad-Bach-in-Japan-at-5th-World-Parkinson-Congress-in-Kyoto-2019.html Nenad's main reason of traveling around the world is promoting 2019 ITTF Parkinson's World Table Tennis Championships. He has participated at the 5th World Parkinson Congress in Kyoto on June 2019. He reported about his experiences with Ping Pong Parkinson: Testimonial, the diagnosis and activity that prolonged my life. He promoted his ideas of World Peace In One Hour, also in Hiroshima, Nagoya and Tokyo. During his stay in Japan, he met his numerous colleagues and frineds, including Yoko Nishii (pianist, on the photo) and Hayato Iso (environmental architect). Both Yoko Nishii and Hayato Iso left visible traces in the cultural life of Croatia. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 20 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11163/1/Mladen-Vranic-1930-2019-a-legend-in-diabetes-research.html Mladen Vraniæ eaarn his PhD in medical sciences from the University of Zagreb in 1962, as well as honorary doctorate from the same univeristy in 2011. Mladen Vranic's seminal contributions in a number of areas - glucose metabolism, exercise, hypoglycemia and stress, changed the landscape of diabetes research in Canada and internationally. "In some ways he's been the grandfather of all these outstanding athletes living with diabetes who have excelled -€" it's an incredible legacy." D. Naylor darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 25 Jun 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11167/1/Marko-Tadic-Croatian-mathematician-delivered-a-lecture-at-IHES-in-Paris-in-2018.html Marko Tadic, professor of Mathematics at the University of Zagreb and a member of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, delivered a lecture in 2018 at the prestigious IHES (Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques) in Paris. The title of his talk was "Unitarizability in generalised rank three case for classical p-adic groups". Although the lecture is on a highly specialized topic in Mathematics, we invite the reader to listen to at least a part of it. France is one of the strongest mathematical nations in the world. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 21 Jun 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11147/1/RIMAC-0-100-KMH-IN-19-SEC-CONFIRMED.html The Rimac C_Two is the world'€™s most powerful electric hypercar, demonstrating the company'€™s expertise in high-performance vehicle systems. Powered by a four-motor powertrain system with 1.914 hopsepower and instantly available 2300 Nm of torque, the C_Two accelerates 0-60 mph in 1.85 seconds, and reaches 300 kph in 11.8 seconds. The 120 kWh battery capacity enables 550 km of range in WLTP cycle (650 km NEDC). ). These figures have taken the world by surprise, but with new development efforts, the C_Two can, and will, see upgrades. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 11 Mar 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11139/1/Damir-Martin-Croatian-rower-exhibits-outstanding-strength-and-endurance.html Damir Martin, Croatian rower and two-time Olympic Silver medallist (2016), exhibits outstanding strength and endurance; but how does that compare to athletes from other sports? In a sports science lab, the physiques and unique body characteristics of Olympic athletes are analyzed to reveal what makes them so special. We provide an analysis by Professor Greg Whyte, former Olympian (Modern Pentathlon, GB) and a leading sports scientist (University of Liverpool). "... Damir is truly a force of nature." "His lung size is absolutely astronomical." "Damir's Maximal VO2 score is literally breathtaking: higher than the world's best marathon runners ..." darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 27 Jan 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11131/1/Boyan-Slat-founder-and-CEO-of-the-Ocean-Cleanup-project.html On May 11th 2017, Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, announced a design breakthrough allowing for the cleanup of half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in just 5 years. The main idea behind The Ocean Cleanup is to let the ocean currents do the work. An installation of U-shaped screens channels floating plastic to a central point. The concentrated plastic can then be extracted and shipped to shore for recycling into durable products. Boyan Slat has been recognized as one of the 20 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs Worldwide (Intel EYE50), and is the youngest-ever recipient of the UNÀ™s highest environmental accolade: Champion of the Earth. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 20 Dec 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11134/1/Artur-R-Bagdasarov-published-an-important-book-quotArmenija---Noina-zemljaquot-in-2018.html Artur R. Bagdasarov, an Armenian scholar living in Moscow, is an expert in Croatian language and history. His newest book "Armenija - Noina zemlja" is his fifth book in Croatian language, and the third dealing with Armenia. Among interesting novelties published in the book, we mention the name of an Armenian Vagan Melik-Karaganjan, a honory citizen of the city of Biograd, who built the first hospital in this Croatian coastal city. It is not widely known that the congreation of Mhitarists, benedictine abeys of Armeno-catholic church, published more than 200 Croatian books in their printing house in Vienna. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 01 Dec 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11121/1/Branko-Grunbaum-192982122018-distinguished-American-mathematician-born-in-Croatia.html Branko Grunbaum was born in 1929 in the city of Osijek, Croatia. He started his studies at the University of Zagreb, and then moved in 1949 to Israel, where he completed his studies in 1954 and earned his PhD at the Hebrew University in Yerusalem in 1957. In 1966 he became full professor at the the University of Washington, after spending time at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, Hebrew University and at the Michigan State University. Branko Grunbaum wrote a very interesting survey paper "The Bilinski dodecahedron, and assorted parallelohedra, zonohedra, monohedra, isozonohedra and otherhedra" (27 pp.), dealing with the work of distinguished Croatian mathematician Stanko Bilinski. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 17 Nov 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11119/1/Carmen-Verlichak-ellected-a-member-of-the-Argentine-Academy-of-Arts-and-Sciences-of-Communication.html darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 01 Nov 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11116/1/Ante-Glibota-delivered-a-lecture-at-UNESCO-Paris-2018-on-the-occasion-of-100-years-since-the-First-WW.html Ante Glibota, distinguished Croatian scholar, delivered a lecture at the International Conference "Hundred Years Since the First World War" organized in Paris by UNESCO, 21st September 2018. His lecture, delivered in French, was entitled "The Causes of the First World War and Its Impact on the International Relations in the 20th Century". Mr. Glibota is one of three vicepresidents of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Lettres, situated in Paris. He is the curator of the Museum of Art and Urbanity in Shanghai, China. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 23 Oct 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11104/1/Nenad-Bach-Dragica-Kragic-and-Sven-Maricic-participating-at-prestigious-MTF-Stockholm-Sep-7-9-2018.html The talks stage features an incredible lineup of inspiring people from around the world in conversation - representing all areas of industry, academia, the arts, sciences and public life. Rather than a series of keynotes, speeches, panel sessions or powerpoint presentations, the magazine-style interviews and intimate performances at MTF Stockholm provide a personal insight into the world and the stories of each of these amazing individuals. Three Croatian representatives are invited: Nenad Bach (with his project World Peace In One Hour), Danica Kragiæ (a leading expert in robotics) and Sven Marièiæ (expert in 3D printing). darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 22 Aug 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11084/1/1139-years-since-the-international-recognition-of-Croatia-and-26-years-since-its-diplomatic-recognition.html In the 9th century, more specifically, in 879 AD, Croatia obtained its first international recognition when Pope John VIII sent his letters to Croatian prince Branimir, in which he blessed him and his Croatian people. Croatia never lost its state continuity, even when it was a part of other empires, kingdoms and states. For example, Croatian Deit (Sabor) is one of the oldest in Europe, and in this sense, Croatia is one of the oldest states in Europe. Its diplomatic recognition was realized in 1992, under dramatic circumstances of Serbian and Montenegrin military aggression on Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 26 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11080/1/Mario-Juric-distinguished-Croatian-astrophysicist--the-leader-of-the-Data-Management-team-for-LSST-.html I'm interested in astronomical 'Big Data'™: developing and applying methods and algorithms that let us use large data sets to answer research questions. Major astronomical surveys of today are routinely collecting hundreds of terabytes of images, creating databases with billions of objects and several billion measurements. Large surveys astronomers are becoming part data scientists. In my research, I go where the data takes me -€" I've worked on topics ranging from asteroids in the Solar System, Galactic structure, to the scale structure of the universe. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 20 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11079/1/Jakov-Radovcic-distinguished-Croatian-paleonthologist-and-an-expert-in-the-Neanderthal-culture.html NEANDERTHALS represent a magical and mystical idea of the prehistoric people of Europe. They are one of the many secrets of the beginning of our species. Who were those people who lived between 30,000 and almost 300,000 years ago? How did 19th century science discover and interpret the finds and what do we know now, at the beginning of the third millennium, about these Stone Age people who used to hunt for rhinoceros in this area 125,000 years ago? If you want to find out the answers to these questions, visit the new KRAPINA NEANDERTHAL MUSEUM, in Krapina, in Croatia! On the photo Jakov Radovèiæ, the leading Croatian paleonthologist, a discoverer of the Neanderthal jewelry. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 19 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11069/1/Danica-Kragic-professor-of-robotics-at-the-Royal-Institute-of-Technology-in-Stockholm-Sweden.html Danica Kragic is a Professor at the School of Computer Science and Communication at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH. She received MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Rijeka, Croatia in 1995 and PhD in Computer Science from KTH in 2001. She has been a visiting researcher at Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Brown University and INRIA Rennes. She is the Director of the Centre for Autonomous Systems and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and founding member of the Young Academy of Sweden. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 17 May 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11048/1/Marijan-Zubanovic-1931-2016-Croatian-technical-thermodynamics-expert-in-France.html Marijan Zubanoviæ, born in 1931 in the village of Virje on Croatian north, completed his studies of mechanical engineering in 1957 at the University of Zagreb. In 1959, not willing to work for military industry of ex-Yugoslavia, he emigrated to France. In 1970, he founded and directed STS enterprise (Systeme Thermodynamique Serivce). He solved the problem of air conditioning for the first French atomic submarine "Le Redoutable", and patented cooling systems for French nuclear power plants. marinko.frka@gmail.com (Mauricij Frka-Pete�i�) Mon, 05 Mar 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11041/1/MOHO-discontinuity-discovered-by-Andrija-Mohorovic-described-in-Japan-by-Kiyoo-Wadati-already-in-1925.html The title of the 1925 article published by Kiyoo Wadati, distinguished Japanese seismologist, is "On Mohorovièiæ Wave appeared in Tazima-Earthquake", published in the Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan in No. 8, 1925. It is indeed a big surprise to see such an echo of Mohorovièiæ's pioneering work in seismology. As we can see, his name appears already in the title of the article. The MOHO discontinuity, the notion now in current use throughout the world, has been discovered in Zagreb by this great scientist in 1909. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 25 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11036/1/Kresimir-Krnjevic-distinguished-Croatian-neuroscientist-celebrates-90-years-in-2017.html Eugene Garland of ISI and Current Contents named Dr. Kre¹imir Krnjeviæ as one of the 1,000 most cited contemporary scientists and named three of his papers "citation classics." He is Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1975., as well as Honorary Member of the Croatian Pharmacological Association (1983), Honorary President and Member of the Advisory Board of the Croatian Institute of Brain Research (since 1991), Corresponding Member of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences (1992) , etc. He was also president of the International Croatian Initiative (1992-1998). We provided an article written by Professor Ante Padjen, of the McGill University, Canada, which has been published in 2017 by Gaudeamus, the journal of AMCA Toronto. ante.padjen@mcgill.ca (Prof.Dr. Ante Padjen) Wed, 20 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10994/1/RONNA---Robotic-NeuroNAvigation-in-neurosurgery-project-led-by-Bojan-Jerbic-in-Croatia.html RONNA - Robotic NeuroNAvigation is a project that deals with research into and the design of a new innovative and competitive robotic system for application in neurosurgery. The project was launched by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, with the Clinical hospital Dubrava and the Croatian Institute for Brain Research as partners in the project. Founders of the project are Professor Bojan Jerbiæ, PhD (project leader, on the photo), Assistant Professor Darko Chudy, PhD and Professor Gojko Nikoliæ, PhD. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 22 Jul 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10987/1/Ruggiero-Boscovich---Rudjer-Boskovic-1711-1787-has-a-memorial-plaque-in-Milano.html In June 2017, on Piazzale Borromeo in the heart of Milan, a commemoration ceremony and performance took place for Ruðer Bo¹koviæ, native of Dubrovnik and the most distinguished scientist in Croatia'€™s history, outside the Church of Santa Maria Podone, where he was buried on 13 February 1787. A memorial constructed of Dubrovnik Mironja stone was unveiled with the support of renowned lawyer, Cristian Pambianchi, an esteemed friend to Dubrovnik, and realized by the Croatia'€™s Consulate General in Milan. On the photo Ivana Marija Vidoviæ, distinguished Croatian pianist, by the memorial plaque dedicated to Ruggiero Boscovich - Ruðer Bo¹koviæ. ivanamarija.vidovic@gmail.com (Ivana Marija Vidovi�) Wed, 28 Jun 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10985/1/Mike-Vucelic-1931-2012-Apollo-system-manager-for-NASA-and-Rockwell-in-charge-of-300-NASA-engineers.html Milojko Mike Vucelic, born in the town of Gare¹nica, Croatia, completed the Faculty of Machanical Engineering of the University of Zagreb in 1954. Since January 1962 he worked for Apollo, and subsequently he served as one of directors of the Apollo Program. The mission of Apollo 8 in 1968 was circulating around Moon's orbit with the crew of three astronauts, and Mike Vucelic considers this to be his greatest success in professional life in the USA. During the Apollo 11 mission, he was at the control of the flight, just beside Gene Kranz, who served as the chief of the control. Due to this success in saving the Apollo 13 crew (Hello Houston... we have a problem), he was awarded by the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the then president of the USA. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 17 Jun 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10984/1/George-Skurla-1921-2001-led-the-1600-man-team-that-built-the-historic-Apollo-11-lunar-landing-module.html In 1965, George Skurla became director of operations for Grumman at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In that position, he brought together the 1,600-man Grumman team responsible for the final assembly, test and pre-launch checkout for the Apollo lunar module vehicle. Skurla led the team that built the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing module. The lunar modul spacecraft, which was designed, developed and produced by Grumman co., was the final stage in NASA's Apollo Program which landed American astronauts on the surface of the moon. The family of Skurla (©kurla) has Croatian roots, from Herzegovina, near the environs of the Dubrovnik area. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 17 May 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10983/1/International-conference-in-Biograd-and-Zadar-on-the-phenomenon-of-glagolitic-script-in-May-12-13th-2017.html Thirty three scientists from Croatia, Austria, Italy, Japan, Russia and Slovenia participated at the Conference. It has been superbly organized by the city of Biograd and the University of Zadar (which the oldest Croatian university, founded in 1396), as well as by Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Old Slavonic Insitute, Matrix Croatica Zadar. The Conference was held under auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia. On the photo Dr. Keiko Mitani from Tokyo, one of the participants and contributors to the Conference. She speaks Croatian, and completed her PhD at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 15 May 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10970/1/Marin-Saric-CEO-of-Optimoroute-company-in-Croatias-capital-Zagreb.html Marin ©ariæ: "When people think about logistics, they think about routing, they think about package deliveries, they might think about some ships or freight crossing companies,” he concludes. “But I think what people need really to understand is that we are moving towards this mobile world, where every every year, in every country, there are more and more people who are working on the go, and Optimoroute is in the middle of it all.” darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 06 Apr 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10969/1/Cedric-Villani-visited-Croatia-lecturing-at-the-University-of-Zagreb-about-Mathematics-and-Art.html Cedric Villani, distinguished French mathematician, visited Croatia in 2017 (on the photo with Petra Ivatovic, 2nd grade of the XVth Gymnasium in Zagreb). On 3rd April he delivered two lectures, one for high school students in the city of Zagreb, dealing with Math and Bats, and another at the University of Zagreb, dealing with Mathematics and Art. In several of his previous lectures he mentioned the work of Croatian mathematician Danilo Blanu¹a in the context of achievements of John Nash in the study of isometric embeddings of hyperbolic spaces (important in the relativity theory) into Euclidean spaces. His appearance in Croatia has raised unprecedented interest. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 04 Apr 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10964/1/Rudjer-Boskovic-distinguished-Croatian-scientist-from-18th-ct-has-a-monument-in-Milano-in-Italy.html Rudjer Boskovic, distinguished Croatian scientist, diplomat and poet (18th ct.), born in the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa), is the founder of the astronomical observatory in Brera near Milan. Due to this, Ivan Mestrovic's monument of Boskovic has been transported from Croatia to Italy and placed in Milano in 2017. In 1773, a charter granted by Louis XV made Rudjer Boskovic a French subject. With his theory of forces he was a forerunner of modern physics for almost two centuries. He was the discoverer of the principle of determinism, 56 earlier than Pierre-Simon Laplace. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 16 Mar 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10958/1/Marko-Veselica-1936-2017-Croatian-economist-and-politician-passed-away---article-by-Ante-Glibota.html Marko Veselica was distinguished Croatian economist and legendary human rights activist who spent 11 years in communist prisons in 1970s and 80s. We provide an article of his close colleague and friend Academician Ante Glibota, vicepresident of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and Humanity in Paris, written in Croatian language. We also provide the titles of some of Veselica's relevant books and studies. ante.glibota@wanadoo.fr (Akademik Ante Glibota) Mon, 20 Feb 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10956/1/Igor-Rudan-young-Croatian-scientist-a-fellow-of-the-Royal-Society-of-Edinburgh-in-Scotland.html  Igor Rudan, PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and employed at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, is a joint Director of the Centre for Global Health Research and World Health Organization's (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Population Health Research and Training at the University of Edinburgh. He serves as a consultant of the WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, Save the Children and other organizations active in global health. He is also one of the Editors-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Health. His main interest is improving the levels of health and development everywhere in the world. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 13 Feb 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10932/1/Nikola-Toma-Host-1761-1843-Croatian-physician-and-botanist-has-memorial-plaque-in-Vienna-since-2016.html The memorial plaque to Nikola Toma Host (1761-1843) is placed in the Alpic Garden of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna. Host was a personal physician of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. The Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna bears his name: Host's Garden (Host’scher Garten), which he has directed until his death in 1834. His herbarium is kept in the Nature Museum in Vienna. The initiative came from Josip Ser¹iæ, Vienna, author of important monograph Kroatisches Wien / Hrvatski Beè (Croatian Vienna) published in 2013. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 10 Dec 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10910/1/Stanko-Bilinskis-rhombic-dodecahedron-discovered-in-Croatia-in-1960-and-nicely-described-by-Matt-Parker-.html Academician Stanko Bilinski 1909-1998, was distinguished Croatian mathematician, an expert in the field of Geometry. In 1960, he discovered the rhombic dodecahedron. A consequence of results from his PhD dissertation defended in 1944 (published in 1948, both at the University of Zagreb) is that there are precisely 14 semiregular (Archemidian) polyhedra. His results are cited and discussed by distinguished geometers like Coxeter, Grünbaum, Miyazaki, Tekada, and others. In May 2016, Matt Parker from the University of London (Queen Mary) created a very interesting and entertaining video in Dubrovnik, dealing with this nice geometric object. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 15 Oct 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10899/1/Kreso-Mikulic-bigmustache-Croatian-carpenter-engineer-Olympic-gymnast-alpine-skier-and-winemaker.html What do devotion to the Blessed Mother, the fuel pump in the B-1 bomber, and a popular Colerain Township winery have in common? The answer is Kreso Mikulic, age 79, native of the Medjugorje region of Bosnia, patent holder of the B-1 fuel pump and owner and master vintner at Vinoklet Winery.  Mikulic, an ethnic Croatian, has imported white and red wines made by Podrumi Andrej in Medjugorje and labeled with a portrait of the Blessed Mother, whom local tradition holds appears there annually since 1981. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 15 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10896/1/Sven-Maricic-a-pioneer-of-3D-printing-technology-in-Croatia.html   A team of doctors at the Clinical Hospital in the city of Rijeka, Croatia, have recently and successfully attached a 3D printed ear to an elderly patient whose biological ear had to be removed because of skin cancer. The operation was executed as a joint effort between the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka and the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic at the local hospital and marks yet another successful implantation of a 3D printed prosthetic. The 3D printed ear model was designed by Dr. Sven Marièiæ and his associates Sanjin Fuæak, and Duje Kalaj¾iæ and was based off of measurements made of the patient’s original ear. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 10 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10872/1/Ljiljana-Fruk-and-Marina-Prijatelj-of-Croatian-Choco-Concept-connecting-Chocolates-Chemistry-and-Art.html ; Ljiljana Fruk and Marina Prijatelj believe that the main driving force in both science and art is the creativity. Artists create new realities, their imagination can run wild and they have a licence to experiment and push the boundaries. Scientists are not unlike artists, they just add a bit more of the analytical approach to exploration. They like to do both. Dr. Ljiljana Fruk on the photo, born in Krapina, Croatia, is lecturing Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 23 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10867/1/Ivan-Mrvos-of-Croatia-designed-the-best-smart-street-bench-in-the-world.html Steora is the world's best street bench, and its designer is Ivan Mrvos from the town of Solin, Croatia. It provides phone charging and internet to users and beautifies the street. All powered by green solar energy. Steora is more than a bench. Steora is the future of cities. The benches are equipped with an independently developed wireless device charger and two smart USB connectors, providing fast charging for mobile devices whilst ensuring battery protection. Internet access is constantly available within a four-meter diameter of the bench, delivered by a superfast 4G mobile router. The product is exported to Australia, and the product is tested in the USA, Switzerland, etc. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 16 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10863/1/Zvonko-Vranesic-Croatian-Canadian-International-Chess-Master-and-Professor-at-the-University-of-Toronto.html Professor Zvonko Vranesic was born in Croatia's capital Zagreb. At the University of Toronto, he served as the Director of the Computer Engineering Program from 1991 to 1995, and as Chair of the Division of Engineering Science from 1995 to 2000. He worked on numerous consulting projects in the area of computer engineering. Presently, he is a Principal Software Engineer at the Altera Toronto Technology Center. He has co-authored five books which have become widely used (worldwide) in undergraduate courses. He represented Canada in numerous chess competitions. He holds the title of International Master and since 2010 is a member of the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 09 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10853/1/6th-Croatian-Mathematical-Congress-in-Zagreb-2016-hosted-200-mathematicians.html Croatian Mathematical Congresses are organized every four years by Croatian Mathematical Society in different university centers throughout the country. In 2016, the Congress had 6 plenary lecturers and 14 invited lecturers presenting their current work in various parts of mathematical sciences, as well as numerous short reports. The Conference was accompanied by interesting panel discussions. On the photo are professors Dragan Milièiæ (University of Utah) and Ivan Mirkoviæ (University of Massachusetts), two former students of the University of Zagreb, distinguished international experts in the Representation Theory of Groups. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 19 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10852/1/Sibe-Mardesic-1927-2016-distinguished-Croatian-mathematician-and-Fellow-of-the-AMS.html Professor Sibe Marde¹iæ: "I have been very devoted and faithful to Mathematics in Zagreb. I dedicated approximately equal shares of my time and energy to research, teaching and organization. I tried to transfer to Zagreb good things that I saw at other more developed places. I paid particular attention to teaching at the graduate level." Professor Sibe Marde¹iæ is a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the prestigious American Mathemacial Society. He had over 260 lectures at conferences and universities in 20 countries. Besides his native Croatian, he fluently spoke six languages. We provide an interesting interview with him conducted by Professor James Keesling, USA. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 18 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10828/1/Ivana-Marija-Vidovic-and-Diana-Hilje-celebrating-Rugjer-Boskovic-in-Brera-in-Milano-Italy-17-May-2016.html Under the name of VOX RAGUSEI, two distinguished Croatian artists, mezzosoprano Diana Hilje and Ivana Marija Vidoviæ, pianist, both from the city of Dubrovnik, will be hosted by the University Library of Brera in Milano, Italy. They will have an exceptional honor to perfom music pieces by Jelena Puciæ Sorkoèeviæ (1786-1865), the first Croatian woman composer, and Luka Sorkoèeviæ (1734-1789), known for his beautiful simphonies. Brera is famous for its astronomical observatory, founded by Ruðer Bo¹koviæ, SJ (1711-1787), one of the greatest Croatian scientists in history, and the music event will be dedicated to his memory. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 07 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10838/1/KISHA-the-first-Croatian-smart-umbrella-that-youll-never-lose-created-by-Andrija-Colak.html KISHA is the world’s first smart umbrella. Never lose it, always take it with you when it rains. With KISHA, you'll never ever worry about getting soaking wet. It's connected with a mobile app on your iPhone or Android and tells you each morning (or any other time of the day) if it's going to rain. It also reminds you when you leave it in a pub, bar, restaurant or any other public place. Smart? We'd rather say intelligent! The meaning of KISHA in Croatian is RAIN. Of course, you will get umbrella, not rain :) On the photo Andrija Èolak, getkisha.com darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 06 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10837/1/Nikola-Tesla-Croatian-citizen-advised-the-City-Hall-of-Croatias-capital-Zagreb-in-1892-about-electrification.html In 1892, Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) has been invited by Milan Amru¹, Mayor of the city of Zagreb, to visit the City Hall in order to give advice about future electrification. An interesting article from 1892 has been published in the Zagreb newspapers, which we provide for the first in English translation from Croatian original. We cite the following significant sentence from this 1892 article: Mr. Tesla considers it his duty, as a native son of this country [Croatia], to assist the Zagreb City Council in this matter offering his advice and helping in every way he can. The country he meant here is without any doubt Croatia. As a Croatian citizen, Nikola Tesla possessed the passport issued in the city of Zagreb in 1883. On the photo Nikola Tesla in 1941 with Fritzie Zivich, known as the Croat Comet, the then welter-weight boxing world champion. vesnablazina@hotmail.com (Vesna Bla�ina and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 05 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10833/1/Branko-Leskovar-1930-2016-distinguished-Croatian-American-expert-in-Electrical-Engineering--Electronics.html Dr Branko Leskovar, born in Croatia's capital Zagreb, earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Zagreb. Since 1965 he worked atthe  Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. His work in resolution studies of electro-optical devices has had profound benefits on development and manufacturing of new devices with significantly improved characteristics. These methods have been accepted world-wide by government and industrial laboratories. Upon retirement, he served as Scientific Advisor to numerous universities and US government agencies. He was a fellow of IEEE and Sigma Xi societies. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 22 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10806/1/Mate-Rimac-How-We-Build-The-Worlds-Fastest-Electric-Car-.html Focused on high-performance that comes from a unique fusion of light build, and pure, seamless power, Rimac Automobili was driven from the world we were, passionate petrolheads, into the world of electric propulsion that we are today. Rimac Automobili is a family of enthusiasts, engineers and designers on their quest to discover new ways of making cars faster, and to prove to the World that fun can be electric - far more than anyone ever imagined. Located in Croatia, near Zagreb, the Rimac factory is a place where magic has happened since 2009. When you love what you do, you don't work, you play and thus create art.  darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10804/1/Martin-Lazar-young-Croatian-mathematician-visiting-the-Basque-Center-for-Applied-Mathematics-in-Bilbao.html In the period of May - June 2015, Dr Martin Lazar, a young Croatian mathematician from the Univeristy of Dubrovnik, visited the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics in Bilbao, Spain, in order to continue already established collaboration with its director, Professor Enrique Zuazua. Professor Zuazua is a distinguished international expert in Control Theory, a branch of Applied Mathematics. Dr Lazar had an opportunity to actively participate in numerous activities at the Center (seminars, courses, workshops, …), to present his previous results, as well as to get acquainted with the recent results and open problems of applied mathematics. martin.lazar@unidu.hr (Martin Lazar) Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10795/1/Marin-Soljacic-professor-at-MIT-speaking-about-newest-discoveries-in-nanophotonics-and-applications.html Marin Soljaèiæ, distinguished Croatian-American physicst and professor at MIT, USA, delivered a very interesting talk at the 2015 Tech Day, dealing with newest achievements in nanonphotonics and possible applications. Nanophotonics is a sub-field of nanotechnology that deals with light (photons). Nanophotonic techniques provide ultimate opportunities for tailoring behavior of light, thus offering a potential to enable a wide variety of important applications. This talk highlights recent work in this area, including security applications (for consumers and soldiers), energy conversion, and displays. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 24 Jan 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10794/1/Marin-Soljacic-helps-to-redesign-the-light-bulb.html Humanity started recycling relatively early in its evolution: there are proofs that trash recycling was taking place as early as in the 500 BC. What about light recycling? Consider light bulbs: more than one hundred and thirty years ago Thomas Edison patented the first commercially viable incandescent light bulb, so that "none but the extravagant" would ever "burn tallow candles", paving the way for more than a century of incandescent lighting. Now, in a study published in Nature Nanotechnology on January 11th 2016 (online), a team of MIT researchers describes another way to recycle light emitted at unwanted infrared wavelengths while optimizing the emission at useful visible wavelengths. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sat, 23 Jan 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10787/1/Esther-Gitmans-interview-2016-about-Archbishop-Alojzije-Stepinac-and-his-role-in-saving-the-Jews-in-Croatia.html Dr Esther Gitman analized about 5000 archival documents kept in various Croatian archives. Especially important among them are 500 signed petitions for the rescue of Jews in Croatia during the WW2. Some of these documents contain as many as 150 names, signed by ordinary people, who risked their lifes in order to save the lifes of their endangered Jewish neighbors and friends. Furthermore, according to Dr Girtman, THOSANDS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE signed these petitions, which is a fact totally unknown in historigraphy (not only Croatian). Similar documents in such abundonce, cannot be found in any other European country, said Dr Gitman. We invite you to see and listen to this extremely interesting and important interview, conducted by the Laudato TV in Zagreb, Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 07 Jan 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10780/1/Paul-L-Modrich-of-the-Duke-University-2015-Nobel-Prize-for-Chemistry-is-of-Croatian-descent.html Paul Lawrence Modrich, an American biochemist, Professor of Biochemistry at Duke University and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015. He is known for his research on DNA mismatch repair. Modrich’s work also has shown that inactivation of this mismatch repair system is the cause of the most common form of hereditary colon cancer, and that repair errors also play an important role in the development of a number of neurodegenerative diseases and 20 to 30 percent of sporadic tumors found in many tissues. Professor Paul Modirch is of Croatian descent: his paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 23 Dec 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10771/1/Ludmila-Rulenkovas-book-about-the-SUVAG-verbotonal-method-translated-from-Russian-into-Croatian-in-2015.html Ludmila Ivanovna Rulenkova has published a textbook in Moscow in 2011 dealing with the so-called verbotonal method, developed by academician Petar Guberina in Croatia's capital Zagreb already since the 1950s. The method has been successfully  tested on hundreds of Russian children since the early 1990s. Her book has been translated into Croatian in 2015 at the SUVAG Centre in Zagreb, which is the leading centre in the world for problems of deaf children. The methods developed at SUVAG are in everyday use in more than 70 countries worldwide, in about 600 specialized insitututions. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 14 Dec 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10774/1/Silvija-Gradecak-Croatian-scientist-at-MIT-speaking-about-Nano-Structured-Materials.html Her solar cells could absorb and use more sunlight. Her light bulbs could last longer, and her thermoelectric devices could take heat that would be otherwise lost and turn it into energy. “We’re looking for more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and less expensive technology with new capabilities,” Gradeèak says. Born in Vukovar, Croatia, she studied physics at the University of Zagreb and earned her PhD in Physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lousanne. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 11 Dec 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10769/1/Anthony-Grbic-distinguished-expert-in-metamaterials-visited-the-University-of-Zagreb.html Anthony Grbic received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, in 2005. In January 2006, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he is currently an Associate Professor. In January 2010, he was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. In 2011, he received an Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. He has Croatian roots, and he collaborates among others with a group of Croatian scientists at the University of Zagreb. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 04 Dec 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10741/1/Zlata-Blazina-Tomic--Vesna-Blazina-and-their-monograph-Expelling-the-Plague-from-the-city-of-Dubrovnik.html   Zlata Bla¾ina Tomiæ on the photo is a medical historian who worked at McGill University’s Osler Library, Canada. Vesna Bla¾ina is a translator and librarian who worked at the Université de Montréal, Canada. "Studying an extraordinarily rich set of documents in Dubrovnik, the authors Zlata Bla¾ina Tomiæ and Vesna Bla¾ina bring scholarly attention to an early public health office dedicated to surveillance and containment of plague epidemics. Social and medical historians will find this work very valuable.” Wrote Ann G. Carmichael of the Indiana University, USA. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 16 Oct 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10739/1/Book-Presentation-Wideband-Amplifiers-by-Peter-Staric-and-Erik-Margan.html Modern electronics is developing at a staggering pace, with digital electronics leading the exponential expansion in all areas of our life. So it should be reasonable to expect that an 80 year old concept of analog electronic signal amplification, after being through various technological phases, from vacuum thermionic tubes to highly advanced compound semiconductor devices, would these days be considered well known and understood, old fashioned, trivial, almost obsolete. Well, not quite. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Tue, 15 Sep 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10720/1/Josipa-Majic-from-Croatias-capital-Zagreb-is--founder--CEO-of-Teddy-the-Guardian-global-enterprise-.html Josipa Majic is the founder and CEO of Teddy the Guardian, Zagreb, Croatia, the first smart teddy bear on the market. During play, the teddy bear seamlessly captures the child's heart rate, saturation of blood with oxygen and body temperature, and wirelessly sends the data on a mobile app. This creates a truly child friendly experience for hospitals and home care. With specialization in medical technology, Majic's work places a special emphasis on a more human approach to patients and users. She has previous experience in delivering medical applications and wearable technology solutions. On the photo Josipa Majic and Ana Burica, Zagreb, authors of the idea of Teddy the Guardian. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 26 Jul 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10717/1/Vladimir-Bubrin--Vinko-Grubisic-The-Glory-and-Fame-Croatian-Renaissance-Reader-NY-2015.html Vladimir Bubrin & Vinko Grubisic (on the photo) have prepared an important and extensive book dealing with Croatian Reanaissance literature.  It has been published in 2015 by Croatian Academy of America, NY, USA. The book has 589 pages and provides the original Croatian texts from the Renaissance period (14-17th century), their translation into contemprary Croatian langague, as well as into English. Large portions of the book have already been published in the Journal of Croatian Studies, issued by the same Academy. Now, by publishing the book this valuable material has been made available for broad public - for students, experts, as well as to all those interested in Croatian literature. Professors Grubi¹iæ and Bubrin live in Canada, employed at the University of Waterloo and the Univeristy of Toronoto, respectively. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 22 Jul 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10708/1/Mireo-co-from-a-small-village-of-Banjole-in-Croatia-outbid-Google-in-Dubai-with-their-navigational-tool.html Ivica Siladiæ, PhD in Math, is a founder of Mireo company in Croatia, in a beutiful village of Banjole on Croatia coast. Mireo's Genius Maps is a free application that installs on your mobile device. It's an offline route planning, exploration and navigation app that does not require a mobile internet connection to search and navigate. There are no roaming costs and your battery lasts longer. In 2014 Mireo's navigational program has been chosen to be used in Dubai. It is amazing that a small Croatian team of 25 employed experts outperformed Google. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 06 Jul 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10697/1/Ante-Glibota-elected-vicepresident-of-the-European-Academy-of-Sciences-and-Arts-in-Paris-since-2015.html   Ante Glibota, distinguished Croatian historian of art and architecture, has been elected in June 2015 in Paris, in the Senat of the Republic of France, as the vice-president of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, L'Academie Europeenne des Sciences des Arts et des Lettres; L'AESAL). To be a leading person of this prestigious international institution, which gathers as many as 65 Nobel Prize winners, as well as several hundred outstanding experts in different fields, is not only a great honour for Mr. Ante Glibota, but for Croatia as well. We express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Ante Glibota for his achievements, wishing him good health and fruitful guidance of the Academy. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 09 Jun 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10679/1/Artur-Bagdasarov-and-Vinicije-Lupis-creating-a-bridge-of-friendship-between-Armenia-and-Croatia.html Artur Bagdasarov (Moscow) and Vinicije Lupis (Dubrovnik) are the authors of an important book Armenija - domovina sv. Vlaha  (Armenia - Homeland of St Blaise), dealing with the history St. Blaise tradition in the city of Dubrovnik, going back to the 10th century. St. Blaise, known in Croatia as Sveti Vlaho, is an Armenian saint who lived in 3rd and 4th centuries. The monograph provides a detailed account of historical contactcts between Croatians and Armenians. Dr. Artur Bagdasarov is an expert in Croatian linguistics, while Dr. Vinicije Lupis is a distinguished Croatian historian. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 25 Apr 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10678/1/Hrvojka-Mihanovic-Salopek-and-her-Stella-Maris-Croatiae-project.html Hrvojka Mihanoviæ Salopek, PhD, of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is the director of important cultural project Stella Maris Croatiae, the aim of which is to present the most important examples of the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Croatia, including noted Marian shrines and an anthological selection of Marian works from the theological, artistic and musical heritage. Dr. Mihanoviæ Salopek and her team deserve our deep gratitude for her project and for their fantastic achievement, this time concentrated on the Southern Croatian islands and on Slavonian wheat fields. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 25 Apr 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10673/1/Fritzie-Zivic-boxing-welterweight-champ-invited-by-famous-inventor-Nikola-Tesla-to-lunch-in-New-York.html Fritzie Zivic never asked why. He never asked if his opponent hit hard, if his opponent deserved the shot, if the opponent would be tough. He just said “yes” and signed the contract. Perhaps this fearlessness is the reason why Zivic may have fought a better array of boxers than any fighter in history. 23,190 people filled the Madison Square Garden in New York to the rafters when Armstrong met Zivic again on January 17, 1941. This remains the all-time highest Garden record for attendance! After this match, great inventor Nikola Tesla invited his compatriot and his four brothers to celebrate this win in his hotel. See Tesla and Zivic on the photo. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 18 Apr 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10670/1/Nenad-Ban-makes-a-major-discovery-that-could-lead-to-new-and-effective-antibiotics-against-cancer.html An international team of scientists led by prof. Nenad Ban (left) recently published the detailed structure of the so-called Mitochondrial ribosomes in the online edition of the prestigious journal Science. This discovery is important for the development of more effective antibiotics and new drugs against cancer. "The study of mitochondrial ribosomes will enable us to develop better antibiotics. Namely, in order to develop better antibiotics is important to know what bacterial ribosomes and mitochondrial ribosomes look like, so as to prevent undesirable side effects of various antibiotics used clinically." said Ban. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 14 Apr 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10649/1/Nikola-Tesla-distinguished-Croatian-American-inventor-and-his-high-school-education-in-Croatia.html Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) attended the high-school (High Real School) in Rakovac, Croatia, in the period of 1870-73, where the subjects were taught in German language. One of the compulsorly subjects that young Tesla had, was Croatian language (Kroatische Sprache), which was his mother tongue. Martin Sekuliæ, high school professor of Mathematics and Physics, was probably the most important among Tesla's professors during his entire education, since he enthused him for electricity, magnetism and polar light. Sekuliæ was an active researcher and a member of the Academy of Sciences in Croatia's capital Zagreb, in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 28 Feb 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10641/1/Nenad-Hancic-created-new-font-inspired-by-the-Vinodol-Code-written-in-Croatian-Glagolitic-Script-in-1288.html Nenad Hanèiæ, living in Duesseldorf, Germany, has created a superb new computer font representing the famous Vinodol Code, a very old and important legal document written in Croatian Glagolitic Script, dating from the 13th century, more precisely, from 1288. This is the first font representing the most important Croatian Middle Age legal document. The Vinodol Code was written more than two hundred years before the discovery of America. Congratulations to Nenad Hanèiæ for great job! darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10635/1/Botanical-Garden-in-Zagreb-founded-in-1889-through-the-lens-of-Nikola-Piasevoli.html Nikola Piasevoli amateur photograper fell in love with the Botanical Garden in Zagreb and regularly pays visit on every season, from spring to automn. The Garden was set in 1889 as a gift from the City of Zagreb to the University. The only compensation for it was (and still is) an agreement to open the doors of the Garden to the visitors, free of charge. About 5500 taxa of higher plants grow in Croatia, which is more than in Spain (5050), France (4630) and Germany (3200). nikola@piasevoli.com (Nikola Piasevoli) Sun, 04 Jan 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10634/1/Franjo-Dugan-playing-organs-in-Zagreb-during-the-first-public-registration-of-a-gramophone-record-in-Europe.html The first remote public registration of a gramophone record in continental Europe was successfully organized in Croatia's capital Zagreb, 1927. It was the third such registration in the world, after the USA, New York in 1925 and GB, London in 1926. The concert of Croatian Christmas carols with Franjo Dugan as the organist in the Zagreb Cathedral (stuffed with 2000 worshippers who were singing), had been registered for the Edison - Bell - Penkala Co. in Zagreb. We mention in passing that Penkala was a famous Croatian inventor, known among others for his "chemical pen", named as penkala in his honor. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 27 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10630/1/Petar-Guberina-and-his-Verbotonal-method-described-by-Dr-Carl-Asp-in-Zagreb.html Verbotonal method is an auditory-based strategy that maximizes the listening skills of children and adults with hearing impairment and possibly other communications disorders, while simultaneously developing intelligible spoken language through binaural listening.  Originally developed by Professor Petar Guberina of Zagreb University (on the photo) for teaching normal hearing people to speak before reading a foreign language, it has been more popularly used in Europe.  However, Dr. Carl W. Asp, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) has developed both academic and research programs for its applications through the acquisition of a Federal grant since 1967. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 23 Nov 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10628/1/Professor-Ivan-Gutman-distinguished-Croatian-expert-in-mathematical-chemistry.html Professor Ivan Gutman (b. in 1947) is holder of two PhDs: in Chemistry and in Mathematics, and is a leading international expert in mathematical chemistry in the world today. He has published 1260 professional scientific articles and is author of several research monographs published by Springer, North Holland and Nova Publishers. Professor Gutman has enormous international cooperation with numerous scientists throughout the world in his field of research. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 19 Nov 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10626/1/PhotoMath-smart-camera-calculator-and-PhotoPay-created-by-Jurica-Cerovec-and-his-colleagues-in-Croatia.html It's really stunning: the PhotoMath video on Vimeo has very quickly reached 2 million views. Their web page has over 9000 page views each minute, and the iOS app alone was downloaded more than 1.6M times in less than three days in the Automn 2014, becoming the top free app in most countries around the world. It has been created by Jurica Cerovec and his colleagues at MicroBLINK in Croatia. Their products have recently been shown with great success in London, and they have created enormous interest throughout the world. They open completely new perspectives in education and other areas. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 10 Nov 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10621/1/Darko-Sertics-Applied-Ceramics-company-in-California-Croatia-Taiwan-Japan-and-Israel.html Darko "Matt" Sertic is a well respected entrepreneur who is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Applied Ceramics headquartered in Fremont, California. Applied Ceramics, Inc., is a worldwide leading fabricator and supplier of custom-made ceramics, quartz, silicon and sapphire components for the semiconductor processing equipment industry. The company has facilities in California, Croatia, Taiwan, Japan and Israel. He also founded the culinary academy in Sisak, Croatia, called Kul In. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 16 Oct 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10619/1/Faust-Vrancic-1551-1617-Memorial-Center-on-the-island-of-Prvic-near-the-town-of-Sibenik-in-Croatia.html Faust Vranèiæ was a distinguished Croatian inventor and encyclopaedist during Renaissance 16/17th centuries. Among his most important inventions we mention the parachute as we use today (very different from Leonardo da Vinci'c), suspension bridge and wind turbine. He wrote an important five language dictionary of the most noble Eureopan languages, which included Latin, Italian, German, Croatian and Hungarian. Faust Vranèiæ, born in the town of ©ibenik, now has a superb Memorial Center on the nearby island of Prviæ, where he was burried according his last wish. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 08 Oct 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10618/1/Professor-Tefko-Saracevic-distinguished-Croatian-American-expert-in-Information-Sciences.html Professor Tefko Saraèeviæ studied electrical engineering at the University of Zagreb, Croatia and completed Ph.D. (1970) studies in information science at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. As principal investigator or co-principal he has received research grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes for Health, Department of Education, Council for Library Resources, the Rockefeller Foundation, UNESCO, and several other national and international organizations. His results are widely reported, distributed, and cited. He is recipient of honorary doctorate from the University of Zadar, which is the oldest Croatian university, founded in 1396. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 27 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10595/1/Drazen-Prelec-distinguished-Croatian-expert-for-Neuroeconomics-and-professor-at-MIT-USA.html Professor Drazen Prelec, born in Croatia's capital Zagreb in 1955, completed his studies of Applied Mathematics at Harvard University in 1978, and earned Ph.D in 1983 in Experimental Psychology. He is one of the leading experts in Neuroeconomics, where pscychology and neuroscience intersect. Professor Prelec investigates both the development of normative decision theory and the exploration of the empirical failures of that theory. He is professor at MIT, holding three appointments: at the Department of Economics, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and at the Sloan School of Management. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 02 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10593/1/Mladen-Bestvina-Croatian-mathematician-delivered-a-lecture-at-the-Institut-Henri-Poincare-in-Paris.html Professor Mladen Bestvina is distinguished Croatian mathematician working at the University of Utah in the USA. Trained in mathematical sciences at the University of Zagreb, he is a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. In 2014 he had the honor to deliver the invited lecture at the Insitut Henry Poincare in Paris, one of the most prestigious mathematical institutions in the world. The title of his talk was "On the asymptotic dimension of a curve complex". On the photo Professor Bestvina with his wife Mrs. Cynthia. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 27 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10562/1/Ivan-Hrvoic-Croatian-scientist-inventor-entrepreneur-and-benefactor-in-Canada.html Ivan Hrvoiæ completed his studies in Electrical Engineering at the University of Zagreb, and earned his PhD in the field of Experimental Physics from the same university. In 1972 he immigrated to Canada, where in 1982 he founded Geo Systems, Inc., which is today the leading producer of magnetometers in the world, exporting its product to numerous countries, including Israel. In the late 1980's he participated in founding the Alumni Society of former students of Croatian Universities (AMCA Toronto), and from 1990-1995 was the president of this organization. His humanitarian and media activities in Canada were extremely important during the 1990-1995 aggression on Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 16 May 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10536/1/Professor-Suncica-Canic-Croatian-American-mathematician-uses-math-to-build-better-stents.html University of Houston mathematician Sunica Canic and her colleagues build computer models to study stents. Their simulations could lead to better designs and also help doctors select the right stents for specific procedures. Computer scientists usually model stents in three dimensions, keeping track of about 200,000 mesh points points Together with her collaborator Josip Tambaca of the University of Zagreb in Croatia, and her Ph. D. student Mate Kosor, Canic wrote a much simpler program that approximates stents with only 400 mesh points. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 17 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10525/1/Dr-Svyetlana-Vyalova-Russian-expert-in-Croatian-Glagolitic-Script-writes-about-the-Bercic-Collection.html Svyetlana Olegovna Vyalova is distinguished expert in Croatian Glagolitic Script, working in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg, which the Russians claim to be the largest in the world. The library is in possession of the Berèiæ Collection, which is the largest collection of Croatian Glagolitic manuscripts and books kept outside of Croatia, purchased by the Russian Imperial Academz already in 1865. It contains 228 items, and among them is extremely rare 1483 Croatian Glagolitic incunabulum, which is considered as one of the greatest valuables of the Library. According to her own words, Dr. Vyalova dedicated her best scientific years to the research of the Croatian Glagolitic heritage. wialova@gmail.com (Svyetlana Olegovna Vyalova) Sun, 23 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10522/1/Development-and-production-of-electric-vehicles-in-Croatia.html The development and production of vehicles in Croatia started in 1951 by a tram prototype. This was followed by several key mile-stones: trolley bus, diode type locomotive, thyristor type locomotive, thyristorisation of diode type locomotives, chopper trams, transistor tram, all the way to the transistor electric multiple unit (EMU) in 2009. The development and production of electrical equipment for submarines started in 1970 by developing and producing the main and auxiliary propulsion for a large submarine. This was followed by the development and production of the auxiliary and main propulsion for a small submarine. Written by Professor Zvonko Benèiæ, University of Zagreb. zvonko.bencic@fer.hr (Prof.Dr. Zvonko Ben�i�) Tue, 18 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10510/1/Marin-Soljacic-Croatian-physicist-and-inventor-founder-of-WiTricity-Corp-announces-quotGOODBY-WIRESquot.html The story starts one late night a few years ago, with professor Marin Soljaèiæ, standing in his pajamas, staring at his cell-phone on the kitchen counter. “It was probably the sixth time that month that I was awakened by my cell-phone beeping to let me know that I had forgotten to charge it. It occurred to me that it would be so great if the thing took care of its own charging.” To make this possible, one would have to have a way to transmit power wirelessly, so Soljaèiæ started thinking which physical phenomena could help make this wish a reality. In October 2013 Intel was involved in a $25 million Series E funding round for WiTricity, founded by Marin Soljaèiæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 26 Jan 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10504/1/Dr-Peter-Kuzmic-authority-on-Christian-response-to-Marxism-and-on-Christian-ministry-in-post-Communist-contexts.html Dr. Peter Kuzmic is the foremost evangelical scholar in Eastern Europe and is considered an authority on the subject of Christian response to Marxism and on Christian ministry in post-Communist contexts. He co-founded and directs Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia, the first evangelical theological school in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. He also founded Timisoara Theological Institute, a Romanian school affiliated with ETS. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 03 Jan 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10499/1/Andrija-Mohorovicic-1857-1936-great-Croatian-scientist-discoverer-of-the-MOHO-discontinuity-in-Earths-crust.html The MOHO is the boundary between the crust and the mantle in the Earth. This is a depth where seismic waves change velocity and there is also a change in chemical composition. Also termed the Mohorovièiæ discontinuity after the Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovièiæ (1857-1936) who discovered it. The boundary is between 25 and 60 km deep beneath the continents and between 5 and 8 km deep beneath the ocean floor. The discovery of MOHO is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian science. Andrija Mohorovièiæ was born in the town of Volosko on the northern part Croatian coast. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 16 Dec 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10498/1/Frok-Zefi-Catholic-priest-historian-and-publicist-in-Croatia.html Besides his regular duties in his parish, Don Frok Zefi (on the photo) is very active as a historian and publicist. Till now he has published about a dozen of books and monographs, most of them in Zagreb and Osijek, and some of them printed in Albanian as well. No doubt, the greatest Albanian in history was legenedary Mother Teresa, educated as a girl by Croatian Jesuits. The greatest expert in the history of Albanians was distinguished Croatian scientist and polyglot Milan pl. ©ufflay (1879-1931). darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 13 Dec 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10485/1/-Vesna-Drapac-Deconstructing-Yugoslavia---a-Transnational-History-a--monograph-reviewed-by-Dr-Mladen-Ibler.html Deconstructing Yugoslavia would be probably a more appropriate title of this book. The country failed twice as an integrated state – first as a Kingdom and next as a Communist state. Apart from the communist party and the army, which where the repressive organs of a corrupt and self-serving ruling elite after the Second World War, all cross-republican institutions fell well of atracting lasting interest. The idea of Yugoslavia died well before the state finally disapeared at the end of 20th century. The monograph has been written by Vesna Drapac, associate professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia. mladen.ibler@gmail.com (Dr. Mladen Ibler) Sun, 24 Nov 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10473/1/Brian-Krzanich-Intel-CEO-leads-an-organization-of-more-than-100000-employees-.html Brian Krzanich is the chief executive of  INTEL, the world’s biggest maker of semiconductors. Mr. Krzanich will create an Intel markedly different from the past: "We have amazing assets, tremendous talent, and an unmatched legacy of innovation and execution." Brian is a strong leader with a passion for technology and deep understanding of the business. As chief operating officer, Krzanich led an organization of more than 50,000 employees spanning Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group, Intel Custom Foundry, NAND Solutions group, Human Resources, Information Technology and Intel's China strategy. Mr. Krzanich has Croatian roots. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 23 Oct 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10460/1/A-new-beautiful-translucent-snail-from-the-deepest-cave-in-Croatia.html Scientists discovered a new species of a peculiar cave-dwelling snail in one of the 20 deepest cave systems in the world, Lukina Jama–Trojama in Croatia. The newly discovered species belongs to a genus of minute air-breathing land snails that have lost visual orientation and are considered to be true eutroglobionts, or exclusive cave-dwellers. The Lukina Jama–Trojama is the deepest cave system in Croatia, extraordinary for its vertical shape, long pits and great depth of -1392 m. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 16 Sep 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10446/1/Domagoj-Cevid-and-Borna-Vukorepa-won-2-golds-at-the-2013-International-Mathematical-Olympiad-in-Colombia.html Croatian national team of best young Croatian mathematicians participated at the 53rd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in 2013 with 6 competitors, among 97 countries. Two of them,  Domagoj Æevid (on the photo) and Borna Vukorepa, won the highest prizes - gold medals. Furthermore, for Domagoj it was the second gold medal, since in 2012, he won the first gold medal for Croatia in history. It should be noted that some of our best former competitors are now distinguished scientists working in Croatia, like Marko Tadiæ, Andrej Dujella and Pavle Pand¾iæ, or abroad, like Mladen Bestvina and Ivan Mirkoviæ, to name just a few. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 31 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10445/1/Marin-Soljacic-Croatian-American-physicist-researching-from-wireless-energy-transfer-to-photonic-crystals.html Croatian-American physicist Marin Soljaèiæ, professor at MIT, USA, is best know for his work on wireless energy transfer. In addition to this, he works on numerous problems on electromagnetism in materials structured on the scale of the wavelength, such as micro- and nano-structured materials for infrared and visible light, including nonlinear optical devices and surface plasmons. His recent research, supported by a US$20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, focuses on use of photonic crystals in solar cells. In 2007 he founded WiTricity Corp., together with a group of his colleagues at MIT. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 30 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10442/1/Croatia---Land-and-People-internet-project-of-the-Public-Diplomacy-Service-and-the-Lexicographic-Institute.html We are pleased to inform the readers of the CROWN that, on the occasion of Croatia's accession to the EU, a new website has been recently launched: www.croatia.eu, that is, "Croatia - Land and People“. It has been produced on the initiative of the Public Diplomacy Service of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, with the support of the Institute of Lexicography in Zagreb. The project has been initiated by Mr. Zvonimir Frka Pete¹iæ, head of the Public Diplomacy Service. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 24 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10440/1/Azithromycin-or-Sumamed-one-of-worlds-best-selling-antibiotics-product-of-Croatian-company-PLIVA-Zagreb.html Azithromycin or Sumamed is one of the world's best-selling antibiotics, used to treat or prevent certain bacterial infections, most often those causing middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, typhoid, bronchitis and sinusitis. It has been discovered Croatia's capital Zagreb in 1980, by a team of researchers at the Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva: Gabrijela Kobrehel, Gorjana Radobolja-Lazarevski, and Zrinka Tambura¹ev, led by Slobodan Ðokiæ. They are recipients of the 2000 award Heroes of Chemistry in the USA. The first roots of Pliva go to 1921. Croatian Nobel Prize winner Vladimir Prelog (1975 for chemistry) worked in a company preceding Pliva in 1935. The earnings are estimated to 1.5 billon US$ per year! Croatia is one of only nine countries in the world with its own antibiotic product. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 18 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10437/1/Igor-Stagljar-dances-with-ABC-transporters-step-forward-to-cure-the-cancer.html Professor Igor ©tagljar, Croatian Canadian scientist working at the Faculty of Medicine’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research at the University of Toronto, and his team developed the first roadmap for ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins. These proteins are crucial components of every cell, and are also involved in tumor resistance. “Our discovery shows how ABC transporter proteins effect cancer and other diseases, and this knowledge can help us develop better, more targeted drugs. This is truly momentous,” said ©tagljar. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 08 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10427/1/A-famous-Croatian-Professor-Balthazar-shown-by-Google-on-its-front-page-on-June-21st-2013.html Professor Balthazar is probably the most famous Croatian professor in the world, a popular figure of cartoon movies, familiar to millions of children throughout the world. It has been created in 1967, that is, 46 years ago, by Zlatko Grgiæ, a member of the lagendary Zagreb School of Animated Film. On June 21st 2013 Google placed the professor on its front page. Professor Balthazar was equally popular among children fourty years ago, as is today. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 22 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10421/1/GLAGOLICA-a-European-Musical-Language---project-by-Festival-Kvarner-in-Opatija-25-26-June-2013-Croatia.html The “GLAGOLICA - A European Musical Language” project, is an awarded EU project within the framework of the Culture Programme 2007-2013. We are speaking about Croatia, which will enter the European Union on 1st of July 2013. The central theme is the Croatian recension of Old Church Slavonic literary language with its Croatian Glagolitic Script. The program includes the concerts of Katarina Livljaniæ (25th June, Middle Age Music) and I.G. Kovaèiæ Choir from Zagreb (26th June, Bruckner's Te Deum) in  the city of Opatija in Istrian peninsula, both at 21:30. Croatian Glagolitic Script will be visualized by Ars Electronica from Vienna. On the photo is the logo of Festival Kvarner in Opatija, Croatia. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10407/1/How-can-Croatian-science-help-Croatia-to-overcome-the-crisis.html The Arguments radio show on Croatian Catholic Radio, directed by Marijan O¾aniæ,  discussed to what extent science in Croatia is connected with economy and whether science can help Croatia to overcome economic crisis. Zvonko Benèiæ and Igor Èatiæ (on the photo), professors at the University of Zagreb, were invited as competent experts from the field of engineering sciences, who can tell us a lot about it because they have spent their entire working life connected with economy. m.ozanic@raza-tpz.hr (Marijan O�ani�) Thu, 16 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10404/1/Michael-Coren-interviewed-Judith-Reisman-who-visited-Croatia-in-support-of-Karolina-Vidovic-Kristo.html Sun News Networks' Michael Coren interviews Judith Reisman on The Arena. They discuss the recent visit of Judith Reisman and Tim Tate to Croatia in support of Karolina Vidoviæ-Kri¹to, a respected and successful journalist and tv host, who got suspended after reviewing Tim Tate's documentary on her public television show. On the photo Judith Reisman and Karolina Vidoviæ-Kri¹to. We also provide a related article by Mons. Nikola Radiæ, island of Krk, and a lecture by Dr. Ivan Poljakoviæ from the University of Zadar, both in Croatian. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 07 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10403/1/MARULIC-DAYS-2013-in-the-city-of-Split-in-Croatia---COLLOQVIVM-MARVLIANVM-XXIII.html The 2013 COLLOQVIVM MARVLIANVM XXIII, under the title  The Heritage of Classical Antiquity in Renaissance Texts, has been organized by the Split Literary Circle - Marulianum, Split, Croatia, 19-20 April 2013. This international conference was held in the Institute of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Split. It was a part of a much larger cultural event, The Maruliæ Days 2013, named after Marko Maruliæ 1450-1524 (Marcvs Marvlvs), a Croatian Renaissance writer, who was living in the city of Split. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10402/1/Adam-Eterovich-1931-2013-distinguished-researcher-of-the-history-and-culture-of-Croatian-diaspora-in-the-USA.html Adam Eterovich's studies of Croatian diaspora in the USA are inavoidable for understanding the contribution Croatians to the history of the USA. He has accumulated and published a list of several hundred thosanad of names of Croatian Americans. On his well known web-site www.croatians.com Mr. Eterovich has selected dozens of interesting biographies, some of which left indelible mark in the history of the USA, like Nikola Tesla (the father of three-phase system in world's electrical engineering), Anthony Lucas (or Antun Luèiæ, a father of world's petroleum engineering), Mario Puretiæ (Puratiæ, important inventor in fishing industry), etc. etc. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 02 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10400/1/Croatian-Academy-of-America-celebrates-its-60th-anniversary-in-2013.html In 1953, a group of persons dedicated to promoting Croatian history, art and culture agreed that a formal organization needed to be established to introduce to an American and Canadian scholarly audience the importance of Croatia to civilization.  The Croatian Academy of America (CAA) resulted from the work of these dedicated persons. The Academy’s Journal of Croatian Studies made its first appearance seven years later, in 1960, and has been publishing ever since, showcasing the articles of hundreds of prominent scholars from North America and Croatia. On the photo John Kraljiæ, the current president of CAA. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10388/1/Zoran-Jakuc-student-of-the-University-of-Zagreb-and-his-project-CROM--CROATIA---ROMANIA.html Mr. Zoran Jakuc, a student of the Faculty of Textile Technology (TTF) of the University of Zagreb, spent three exciting months in Romania in 2011/12, within the European student exchange, at the University of Iasi. Among others, he proposed and organized an interesting Croatian-Romanian student project, called CROM 2012, aiming to promote cultures of both countries, using fashion and textile technology. The project resulted with a rich two hour cultural program, which was a great success, registered by the Romanian TV. He was also accompanied with his two colleagues from the TTF of the University of Zagreb, Marija Dami¹ and Kristina Pli¹o. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 19 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10382/1/Zvonimir-Janko-distinguished-Croatian-mathematician-celebrated-80th-birthday-at-the-Martin-Luther-University.html Martin-Luther-University in Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, organized an international conference entitled Celebrating the 80th birthday of Zvonimir Janko, dealing with the theory of Simple groups, p-groups, and combinatorial designs. It started in October 19, 2012. The program has been opened by Laudation speech delivered Professor Dieter Held, distinguished German mathematician, who spoke about scientific accomplishments of Professor Zvonimir Janko. The three plenary lectures were delivered by Professors Trung van Tran (Essen), Roger Wilson (Queen Mary, London), and Zvonimir Janko. The conference was attended by more than forty scientists from Germany, USA, Israel, and Great Britain. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 12 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10376/1/Josip-Pecaric-Croatian-mathematician-wrote-a-preface-to-a-monograph-by-Wan-Lan-Wang-published-in-China-2011.html Professor Wan-Lan Wang, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China, published a monograph Approaches to Prove Inequalities, issued in China in 2011. His colleague from Croatia Academician Josip Peèariæ, distingueshed expert for mathematical inequalities, has been invited to write a preface to the book, and to contributa a separate chapter. Furthermore, an interview with Professor Peèariæ has been published in a Chinese journal called Mathematics in 2012, and the interview was conducted by Iranian mathematician Mohammad Sal Moslehian. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 26 Feb 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10365/1/Egon-Matijevic-distinguished-Croatian-American-expert-in-colloid-chemistry.html Professor Egon Matijeviæ was born in the Croatian village of Otoèac ninety years ago. He was educated in Croatia where he started his extraordinary scientific carrier. After postdoctoral studies in England Matijeviæ moved to USA where he joined Clarkson College of Technology (present Clarkson University) at Potsdam (NY). Egon stayed with Clarkson contributing significantly to the University especially within the Department of Chemistry both in teaching and in research in the field of colloid chemistry. Professor Matijeviæ is a prominent scientist and his achievements were recognized by the scientific community world wide being the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10356/1/Jacob-Jake-Matijevic-1947-2012-NASA-engineer-of-Croatian-origin-father-of-Curiosity-rover-on-Mars.html  Jacob (Richard) Matijevic, also known as "Jake" Matijevic, (3 November 1947 - 20 August 2012) was an American NASA engineer of Croatian origin who worked on Mars Exploration Rovers. Dr. Matijevic, PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, was involved in developing the "Sojourner", "Spirit", "Opportunity" and "Curiosity" rovers. For his contributions to the rover projects, NASA named several landmarks (including "Matijevic Hill" and "Jake Matijevic" rock) for him on the planet Mars. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10352/1/Mervan-Pasic-and-Darko-Zubrinic-Croatian-mathematicians-at-the-Research-Institute-of-Math-Sciences-in-Kyoto.html Mervan Pa¹iæ and Darko ®ubriniæ, two Croatian mathematicians from the University of Zagreb, had a great honour to have been invited to Japan in November 2012, to the University of Science in Okayama, and to the prestigious Research Institute of Mathematical Sciences (RIMS) of the University of Kyoto. They both delivered two lectures at two international meetings. In Kyoto they both had 50 min. lectures. The conferences have been superbly organized by Professors Hiroyuki Usami, Satoshi Tanaka and Yuki Naito. On the photo Professors Hiroyuki Usami and Mervan Pa¹iæ. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10347/1/Croatie---la-voici-Lalphabet-glagolitique-croate-en-France.html Croatia - here it is! Croatian Glagolitic Alphabet will be exhibited in France in the Museum of Tau in Reims, France. A famous Evangel of Reims, Croatian Glagolitic book ,is kept in the City Library of Reims since 16th century as a special tresure. The book has an amazing biography: handwritten in 1395 in the Prague, tied with an even older Cyrillic Evangel from Kiev, Ukraine, from 11th century, it is a significant symbol of European cultural landscape, connecting Western and Eastern Christianity. An exhibition entitled THE CROATIAN GLAGOLITIC SCRIPT will be open 13 Dec 2012 - 24 Feb 2013 in Palais du Tau, in Reims. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10337/1/Dr-Ante-L-Padjen-Croatian-neuroscientist-and-founder-of-I-Medici-di-McGill-Orchestra-in-Montreal-CA.html Professor Ante Padjen was educated in Croatia (University of Zagreb, Croatia; 1966, MD; 1970, DSc), University of Edinburgh (Graduate Studies), NIMH (1971 - 1975, Washington, DC). He has served as Professor at McGill University, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics from 1976. His primary research interests include neuroscience, information technology and knowledge translation in biomedicine with a particular interest in developing areas. He is the founder and principal viola of I Medici di McGill Ensemble (The Physicians of McGill), a performing orchestra made up largely of physicians, medical students and medical faculty. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 14 Nov 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10332/1/Mrgari-flower-shaped-dry-stone-sheepfolds-on-the-island-of-Krk-in-Croatia-studied-by-Dr-Berislav-Horvatic.html The ancient building technique of dry stone walling called mrgari, are complex multicellular dry stone sheepfolds, flower-shaped in ground plan, used for sorting out the sheep of various owners. These giant dry stone flowers, tens of meters in diameter, ornate the common pasture (komunada) of only three settlements on the island of Krk (Ba¹ka, Jurandvor, and Batomalj), still maintaining the traditional custom of communal sheep round-up. Except in Croatia, somewhat similar flower-shaped multicellular sheepfolds can be found only in Wales and on Iceland. Mrgari have been studied by Croatian physicist Berislav Horvatiæ. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10330/1/Nenad-Bach-Antun-Lueiae---Anthony-F-Lucas-i-Boris-Ljubieiae-u-Slici-Hrvatske-s-Karolinom-Vidovic-Kristo.html   Nenad Bach u Slici Hrvatske na HTV-u govori o svojoj dosada¹njoj karijeri, planovima za buduænost ali i o dru¹tvanoj i politièkoj slici Hrvatske. Jeste li znali da je otac naftne industrije Hrvat? Pogledajte prièu o malo poznatom Spliæaninu Antunu Luèiæu - Anthony F. Lucasu! Boris Ljubièiæ govori o dizajnu dr¾ave Danske. Urednica: Karolina Vidoviæ Kri¹to na fotografiji, 6. listopada 2012. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 12 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10325/1/Dr-Zeljko-Ivezic-Croatian-scientist-and-a-leading-expert-in-astronomy-in-the-world.html After five years at UK, dr. ®eljko Iveziæ and his family moved on to New Jersey where he began working at Princeton University. During his seven years at Princeton, Dr. Iveziæ participated in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which has been called one of the most ambitious and influential surveys in astronomy history. Over the course of eight years, the survey produced three-dimensional maps of more than 930,000 galaxies. Ivezic is now part of an effort to create the first digital movie of the sky with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). On the photo dr. Iveziæ with his daughter Vedrana. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 05 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10323/1/Josip-Pecarics-activities-in-Pakistan-and-Croatia-from-Mathematics-to-Croatian-history.html   Academician Josip Peèariæ has 13 PhD students in Pakistan. Six of them already earnd PhD degrees in Mathematics. He is visiting professor at a prestigious Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences in Lahore, named after distingushed Pakistani Nobel Prize winner for Phyisics. He was Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Mathematical Inequalities and Applications organized Lahore in 2010, where about 200 scientists from 19 cuntries participated. His public activities in Croatia are well known. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10320/1/Ana-Maruiae-Croatia-proclaimed-Honorary-Professor-in-the-College-of-Medicine---University-of-Edinburgh.html Dr. Ana Maru¹iæ from the University of Split, Croatia, has been made an Honorary Professor in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine of the University of Edinburgh. She has been the editor in chief of the Croatian Medical Journal for 20 years, and is now editor in chief of the Journal of Global Health. Professor Maru¹ic has been the President of the World Association of Medical Editors and Council of Science Editors. She is currently the Vice President of the European Association of Science Editors. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 19 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10316/1/James-Spudich-American-scientist-of-Croatian-roots-recipient-of-the-Lasker-Award-for-biochemistry.html Dr. James Spudich, professor of medicine at Stanford University, USA, received the 2012 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for his trailblazing investigations of the molecular motors that drive our skeletal muscle contractions and heartbeats, enable our cells to divide, and power patrolling immune cells through our tissues. The Lasker Prize is one of the most prestigious scientific prizes  in the filed of basic medical research. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10313/1/12th-AUTEX-World-Textile-Conference-hosted-by-the-City-of-Zadar-13-15-June-2012.html The AUTEX Conference provided an excellent opportunity to bring together European and world scientists and engineers from academy, national research institutes and companies to present and discuss the latest results in the general field of textile materials, technologies, fashion and marketing. In 2011, Faculty of Textile Technology of the University of Zagreb celebrated 50th anniversary of its existence. The city of Zadar has the most beautiful sunset in the world. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10297/1/Passion-Heritage-of-Croatians-in-The-Danube-Region-conference-held-in-Sombor-2012.html Mrs Marija ©ereme¹iæ initiated organizing the international conference dealing with the Passion Heritage among Croatians in the Danube Region. It was held in the lovely town of Sombor, in cooperation with the local Croatian society called Urbani ©okci directed by Mrs ©ereme¹iæ, and by the Agency for Culture of Vojvodina Croatians from Subotica, directed by Mr Tomislav ®igmanov. The conference was superbly organized and very successful. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 17 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10284/1/Dr-Igor-Velcic-awarded-at-the-5th-Croatian-Mathematical-Congress-June-18-21-2012-in-the-city-of-Rijeka.html The 5th Croatian Mathematical Congress June 18-21 2012 has been very successfuly organized by The Department of Mathematics of the University of Rijeka, and The Croatian Mathematical Society. The Congress included six plenary lectures, 8 plenary lectures, a large number of short communications and posters, and three round tables. A young Croatian mathematician Igor Velèiæ (on the photo) from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, was awarded the Prize of the Croatian Mathematical Society. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 23 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10283/1/Nobel-Prize-Winner-Robert-J-Aumann-in-Dubrovnik-at-Logic-in-Computer-Science-Symposium-25-28-June-2012.html The Logic and Computer Symposium - LICS is an annual international forum on theoretical and practical topics in computer science that relate to logic, broadly construed. LICS 2012 will be hosted by the Department for Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Dubrovnik in Dubrovnik, Croatia, from June 25th to 28th, 2012. There will be an invited lecture by Robert J. Aumann, winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on the photo, and a plenary session in honor of Alan Turing. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10277/1/Dr-Andrija-Puharich-parapsychologist-medical-researcher-and-inventor.html Andrija (Henry) K. Puharich M.D., LL.D., was born on February 19, 1918 in Chicago, United States. He graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1947 and completed his residency in internal medicine at Permanente Hospital in California. During his scientific career Dr. Puharich held 56 American and foreign patents for his inventions in the fields of medical electronics, neurophysiology and biocybernetics. His most known invention was a microelectronic hearing-aid for nerve deafs, which was developed in "Intelectron Corporation" in New York, a 1960 venture of Puharich where he had served as president and director of research for 10 years. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10270/1/Christophe-Dolbeau-wrote-a-new-important-book-about-French---Croatian-historical-relations.html The newest book by Christophe Dolbeau is written in French, and its title is  Croatie - France, Une Belle Amitié, i.e. France  - Croatia, a Nice Friendship. It reveals us many new details about various historical contacts between Croatia and France. It has 138 pp, and covers the period since the Middle Ages till the 19th century. This book will be a wonderful gift to anybody wishing to known more about Croatia in the context of European relations throughout centuries, with a special reference to France. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 31 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10258/1/Dr-Hedvig-Hricak-distinguished-Croatian-expert-in-radiology-and-tumor-diagnosis.html Professor Hedvig Hrièak earned her MD degree from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and her Dr. Med. Sc. from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. She is the Chairman of the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the first woman on that position. Dr. Hricak is President-Elect and Secretary Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). She is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists and an honorary member of the British Institute of Radiology, German Radiological Society, Austrian Roentgen Society, Croatian Society of Radiology, Journées Françaises de Radiologie and the Swedish Society of Medical Radiology. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 16 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10238/1/Professor-Artur-Bagdasarov-published-a-quotShort-Croatian-Grammarquot-in-Russian-language-in-Moscow-2012.html Prof. Dr. Artur Bagadsarov is a well known Russian expert in Croatian language. He was the first one to have published a Croatian-Russian Dictionary and several scientific books about Croatian literary language for the Russian readers. The "Short Croatian Grammar" is his ninth book dealing with various aspects of Croatian language, and is intended for a broad audience. The book is printed on 96 pp in 3000 copies. Our sincere congratulations to professor Bagdasarov for his newest book. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 04 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10224/1/Professor-Davor-Solter-one-of-the-first-to-postulate-genomic-imprinting-interviewed-in-Singapore.html In seminal experiments studying the developmental potential of maternal and paternal genomes by nuclear transplantation, professor Davor Solter was one of the first to postulate genomic imprinting. His research focuses on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms regulating mouse preimplantation development. He made significant contributions to many areas of mammalian development, including differentiation of germ layers, the biology and genetics of teratocarcinoma, the biology of embryonic stem cells, cloning, and reprogramming. Professor Solter was born in Croatia's capital Zagreb, where he studied medicine and earned his PhD. In the period of 1991-2006 he was the Director of the  Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology in Freiburg in Germany, and now working in Singapore. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10218/1/William-Feller-distinguished-Croatian-American-mathematician---first-monograph.html William Feller 1906-1970 was born in Croatia's capital Zagreb, where he studied mathematics, professor of mathematics at Princeton Univeristy since 1950. Feller is one of the founders of Probability Theory as a scientific discipline, and best known for his two volume monograph An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications, which is considered as one of the finest mathematical textbooks of the 20th century. A bilingual Croatian-English monograph has been published in Zagreb in 2011, written by Darko ®ubriniæ, dedicated to the life and work of William Feller. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10209/1/Professor-Mladen-Vraniae-received-the-honorary-degree-of-the-University-of-Zagreb-Croatia-in-2011.html  Mladen Vraniæ, professor emeritus of the University of Toronto, one of the leading experts in the field of diabetes prevention in the world, received the honorary degree from the University of Zagreb 4th November 2011. It is interesting that he defended his PhD at the same University in 1962. The doctor honoris causa degree was conferred to him by professor Aleksa Bjeli¹, recotor of the University of Zagreb, in the presence of all the deans of the University, former rectors, etc. Professor Vraniæ has Croatian and Canadian citizenship, and is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10207/1/Dr-Dijana-Dominis-Prester-distinguished-Croatian-astro-physicist.html Dr. Dijana Dominis Prester is Croatian astro-physicist employed at the University of Rijeka, Croatia. She completed the study of physics in 1996 at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and defended her PhD in 2002 at the University of Potsdam in Germany. In Science magazine, within the Editor's choice, a news item was published in 2006 about a discovery of the first extrasolar planet (that is, of a planet outside of Solar system) in which a group of astrophysiscist participated from all 6 continents, among them a Croatian scientist, Dijana Dominis Prester from the University of Rijeka Department of Physics. The complete scientific paper has been published in the magazine Astrophysical Journal. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 16 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10181/1/The-Croatian-Textile-Alumni-Society-and-Friends---AMCA-TTF.html The abbreviation AMAC or AMCA comes from the Latin word Almae Matris Croaticae Alumni, indicating an Society of graduate students of Croatia. AMAC Society of Croatia constitute AMAC domus, and those outside Croatia AMAC mundus. The aims of these associations are to build and strengthen ties and cooperation among former students and home faculties, to preserve tradition and promote the reputation of faculties, to develop faculties and profession. Eleven associations were founded at the University of Zagreb. The idea of founding AMCA TTF was initiated by prof.dr. Ana Marija Grancariæ in 2002, who responded to the recommendations of the University of Zagreb to found alumni associations. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10204/1/Rudjer-Boskovic-1711-1787-Croatian-polymath-and-the-Royal-Society-exhibition-in-London-until-15-Feb-2012.html To celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Croatian scientist Rudjer Boskovic, the Royal Society is mounting a small exhibition of rare books and archives relating to Boscovich, his work, and his influence on later British scientists including Joseph Priestley, Humphry Davy and J J Thomson. He visited the Royal Society while in London on a diplomatic mission in 1760, and was immediately elected a Fellow of the Society. The exhibition will open from 24 November 2011 until 15 February 2012. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10200/1/Dr-Ante-Cuvalo-8211-Lakse-je-biti-poslusan-nego-samosvjestan-samostalan-i-odgovoran.html Dr. Ante Èuvalo, èovjek èiji su ¾ivotni put usmjerile dvije odrednice: politièki emigrant i akademski graðanin daje svoje viðenje dana¹nje Hrvatske. Doktorirao je povijesne znanosti (1987.) na Ohio State University u Columbusu, glavnom gradu dr¾ave Ohio. Predavao je nekoliko godina na Ohio State University, a potom 20 godina na Joliet Collegeu, u blizini Chicaga, povijest zapadne civilizacije, modernu rusku, odnosno sovjetsku povijest, povijest Bliskog istoka i kolokvije o nacionalizmu. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10193/1/Anthony-F-Lucas-b-Antun-Lucic-of-Split-Croatia-discoverer-of-the-the-first-major-gusher-in-Texas-in-1901.html Antun Luèiæ (Anthony F. Lucas born in Split 1855, died in Washington 1921) is the father of petroleum industry. He discovered the first major gusher in Texas, The Lucas gusher, flowing at the rate of 80-100,000 barrels per day. It blew in January 1901. About 50,000 people came to see it. This meant the earliest massive exploitation of oil and petroleum in the world. Eighteen m. high granite obelisk, built in honour to the Lucas gusher, Spindletop, contains the following lines: "On This Spot on the Tenth Day of the Twentieth Century a New Era in Civilization Began." In 1936 The American Institute for Geological and Metallurgical Investigations founded a prize named after him: Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal. With this article we mark 110 years from this event of worldwide importance. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 30 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10194/1/Incorporating-the-Diaspora-in-Contemporary-Croatian-Studies--The-Harriman-Institute.html This series of short presentations will introduce the exciting and dynamic developments at the University of Rijeka’s new campus, as well as outline the university’s goals for expanding international cooperation, exchange, and Croatian language education. There will also be a focus on how to strengthen cooperation and exchange between the University of Rijeka and Croatian émigré communities in the United States, including knowledge transfer, student exchanges, contributions of returning scholars, and development opportunities. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 22 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10192/1/Dr-Marin-Soljacic-promoted-to-full-professor-of-physics-at-MIT-in-2011-at-the-age-of-37.html Marin Soljaèiæ, born in Zagreb in 1974, was promoted to Full Professor of Physics at the Massachusets Institute of Technology, Boston, USA, in July 2011. He is best known for his discovery of possibility of wireless energy transfer. He is also interested in various topics in nonlinear optical physics. On the photo professor Marin Soljaèiæ swiming with a dolphin in Florida. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10177/1/Vladimir-Shuvaev-director-of-verbotonal-institute-in-Vladivostok-in-Russia-visited-Croatias-capital-Zagreb.html Dr. Vladimir ©uvaev is a young expert for problems of deafness of children in the Russian Federation and director of the institute in Vladivostok. In his work he is exploiting the verbotonal method developed at the world's famous SUVAG center in Croatia's capital Zagreb. There are more than 600 SUVAG centers in more than 70 countries. In the Russian Federation only there are SUVAG centers in 29 cities. We publish an interview with dr. ©uvaev and prof. Lovriæ conducted in Zagreb in the Russian language. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10169/1/The-fastest-electric-car-in-the-world-comes-from-Croatia.html When the sheet is lifted from the Rimac Automobili Concept One electric hypercar on September 13th at the Frankfurt Motor Show – Hall 4.0, Stand A43 at 3:00 pm, in case you plan on attending – we hope the Croatian company has some heated neck pads on hand. There may be a few cases of whiplash that need treating. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sun, 11 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10167/1/Japanese-mathematicians-Yuki-Naito-and-Satoshi-Tanaka-visited-Zagreb-and-Plitvice-Lakes.html  Yuki Naito and Satoshi Tanaka, professors of mathematics from Japan, visited the Department of Applied Mathematics of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, Croatia, by the end of July 2011. This is a result of their collaboration with professor Mervan Pa¹iæ from that faculty. They delivered two plenary lectures at an International Math Workshop organized in Zagreb. During their stay in Croatia they visited the Plitivce Lakes. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 10 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10164/1/Nenad-Hancic-created-a-new-high-quality-Croatian-Glagolitic-font-for-Windows.html Nenad Hanèiæ from Germany, Duesseldorff, created a new Croatian Glagolitic font for Windows. The lower case letters of the font “Glagolica Missal DPG” are oriented on the “Missal from 1483”, the first Croatian printed book (incunabulum), while the capital letters are oriented on those of “Transit of St. Jerome”, a book printed in Croatian Glagolitic characters in the town of Senj in 1508. We owe our deep gratitude to Nenad Hanèiæ: his work will be immensly useful both for amateurs and professionals. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 28 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10151/1/Dubrovnik-Missal-from-12th-century-kept-in-Oxford-GB-facsimiled-in-Dubrovnik-Croatia-2011.html The Dubrovnik Missal was written in the 12th century in Dubrovnik where it was used in the Cathedral for centuries. Today it is kept in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. It is a worldwide cultural heritage monument. Written in Beneventan script and notation, it contains 230 Gregorian chants which, in words of Dr. Miho Demoviæ, 'represent a superior accomplishment in this art in Europe'. The chants found in the Missal are diverse. The exultet from Dubrovnik is considered to be the most refined melody in the Gregorian literature, unparalleled in any European manuscript found so far. Owing to the efforts of Dr. Demoviæ, the Croatian music history can now be traced back to the 10th century. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10137/1/Branko-Fucic-1920-1999-representative-collection-of-conference-papers-published-about-his-life-and-work.html  Sixty three conference papers from the International Scholarly Seminar on the Life and Work of Academician Branko Fuèiæ (1920-1999) have been published in 2011 in voluminous, representative monograph comprising 844 pp. Branko Fuèiæ was distinguished expert in Croatian Glagolitic Script, in the history of Croatian church art, in particular for the area of Istria, dr. honoris causa in theology, and recipient of Herder's prize in Vienna. The monograph has been edited by dr. Tomislav Galoviæ of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Zagreb. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 02 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10132/1/The-Croatian-Academy-of-America-Issued-New-Volume-of-the-Journal-of-Croatian-Studies.html The Croatian Academy of America issued volume 44 of the Journal of Croatian Studies, its annual interdisciplinary review. Contributed articles by Darko ®ubriniæ: William Feller (1906-1970) - an outstanding Croatian-American mathematician, Vinko Grubi¹iæ: The three alphabets used in the printing of Croatian Reformation books in Germany, John Felix Clissa: Migration history of the Italo-Croatians of Molise to Western Australia, Jure Kri¹to: Brother's keeper The surveillance of American Croats by FBI during World War II, Stan Granic: Canadian Ethnic Studies (1969-2003) and Polyphony (1977-2000) as sources for the Croatian Ethnological Community stangranic@hotmail.com (Stan Granic) Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10131/1/Dr-Mladen-Vranic-awarded-by-honorary-degree-from-the-University-of-Toronto.html The University of Toronto recognized extraordinary achievement in community, national, and international service and  honoured professor Mladen Vraniæ, whose accomplishments are of such excellence that they provide, through example, inspiration and leadership to the graduates of the University. It was offered to him in recognition of his lifetime of extraordinary contributions to diabetes research and scientific mentorship, as well as his advocacy for the importance of research in advancing public health. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10120/1/Zvonko-Martic--Vido-Bagur-authors-of-ethno-monograph-about-Croatians-in-BH.html Carmelite monk f. Zvonko Martiæ on the photo and Vidoslav Vido Bagur are authors of important monograph in Croatian and English dealing with national costumes, dances, customs of Croatians throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vila bana zvala priko Vrana (A Fairy Called the Viceroy Over the Mountian of Vran). The book has 200 pp. and about 100 pp contain luxorous photos. The monograph is accompanied with two DVD-s containing numerous dances and songs. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10107/1/Statement-by-the-Croatian-Conference-of-Bishops-on-The-Hagues-Verdict.html The formulation "joint criminal enterprise" is an unfounded and grave insult to the Croatian people, and to justice in general. This is also how we feel about the verdict against the Croatian state leadership at that time and the generals who led campaigns to liberate territory during the war. We believe that these judgments could provide dangerous and indirect support for new violence, as well as a source of further injustice in the world. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10087/1/Croatian-generals-are-not-guilty.html The monograph [PDF], published in English by the Croatian Cultural Council, contains contributed articles by Milan Vukoviæ, Josip Jurèeviæ, Robin Harris, Mile Bogoviæ, Miroslav Tuðman, Hrvoje Kaèiæ (on the photo), Josip Peèariæ etc. From the introducton by Hrvoje Hitrec: "In August, 1995, the Croatian Army liberated large sections of its territory, which had been occupied by the Serbs for many years. This operation is known as Operation Storm (Oluja). In Dalmatia, the most critical part of the operation was headed by Croatian general Ante Gotovina." darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 16 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10083/1/Dr-Esther-Gitman-Croatians-saved-thousands-of-Jews.html Dr. Esther Gitman, American historian living in New York, wrote an important monograph entitled When Courage Prevailed. It is a scholarly study dealing with the history of  saving the Jews in Croatia during the WW2. She published original petitions signed by hundreds of ordinary Croatians in order to save their Jewish friends. According to dr. Gitman, no other European nation can show such documents. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 27 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10081/1/Mate-Ujevic-1901-1967-the-founder-and-editor-in-chief-of-Croatian-Encyclopaedia.html Dr. Mate Ujeviæ was the greatest Croatian lexicographer of the 20th century. The first volume of Croatian Encyclopaedia was published on 10 February 1941. Five volumes were published until 1945, out of 12 planned volumes. He was editor in chief of The Martitime Encyclopaedia published in 1954 in eight volumes. Dr. Ujeviæ was posthumosly honoured by the title of righteous among the nations by Yad Vashem. ibirtic@gmail.com (Iva Ujevi� Birti� and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 21 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10072/1/Dr-Kathleen-V-Wilkes-1946-2003-devoted-her-life-to-the-victory-of-Croatia.html Dr. Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes was a distinguished British humanist, professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford, and also taught at the Inter-University Centre in Dubrovnik, Croatia. During the Serbian siege of the City in 1991 and 1992, she was spreading the truth about its merciless destruction. Dr. Wilkes wrote on Dec 26, 1991: "Dubrovnik... there is still no water or electricity, scant food, no glass in the windows, temperature at freezing point..." darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10071/1/Dr-Hrvoje-Kacics-book-Serving-My-Country-translated-into-several-languages.html Prof. dr. Hrvoje Kaèiæ is a distinguished Croatian specialist in maritime law.  Since 1990 he was an independent M.P. of the Croatian Parliament, elected chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs during the first mandate. From 1994 to 2001 he was president of the State Commission for Borders of the Republic of Croatia. His book Serving My Country has been published in Croatian, English (three printings), Spanish and German. It will soon appear in Ukrainian and Polish. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 03 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10068/1/Dr-Slobodan-Lang-and-his-concept-of-the-Challenge-of-Goodness.html Dr. Slobodan Lang, professor of medical ethics at the University of Zagreb and at Harvard, is best known for his tireless work on humanitarian issues, without precedent in contemporary history. He initiated the concept of „Challenge of Goodness“ and proposed and presented prevention of hate and genocide, protection of hospitals, prisoners of war and refugees, as well as responsibility for goodness by human beings during conflict. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 29 Jan 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10062/1/Tomislav-Domazet-Loso-Croatian-biologist-in-cover-article-of-Nature.html Evolutionary geneticists, Tomislav Domazet-Lo¹o, on the left, from Ruðer Bo¹koviæ Institute in Zagreb (Croatia), and Diethard Tautz and Max Planck Institute for the Evolutionary Biology in Plön (Germany), showed that the development of embryos mirrors evolutionary history. The results are published in the 9th December 2010 issue of Nature as a cover story. Dr. Tomislav Domazet-Lo¹o is a son of Croatian admiral mr. Davor Domazet-Lo¹o. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10058/1/Nelly-Auersperg-distinguished-Canadian-scientist-educated-also-in-Zagreb-Croatia.html Nelly Auersperg b. Gutmann (1928), born in Austria, and escaped before the WWII to Croatia, where she spent her youth in the town Beslice. She studied medicine at the University of Zagreb, and completed her studies at the University of  Washington. Her scientific work in Canada was focused on problems of early ovarian cancer detection. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of British Columbia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10057/1/Mladen-Lovric-founder-of-SUVAG-Center-in-Yakutia-in-Russia-1990.html Mladen Lovriæ is a distinguished specialist for Verbotonal method which is applied to children with deafness problems. This global method is due to renowned Croatian scientist Petar Guberina. Mr. Lovriæ helped to establish the first SUVAG Center in Russia in 1990, which - surprisingly - was founded in Yakutia, in East Siberia. Recently the 20th anniversary was celebrated in Neryungri. On the left portrait of M. Lovriæ by Ukrainian painter Taras Belej. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 06 Jan 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10055/1/Rudjer-Boskovic-a-famous-Croatian-scientist-born-300-years-ago-in-1711.html Rudjer Boskovic (1711-1787), born in Dubrovnik 300 years ago, was a member of the Royal Society of London, a member of St.Petersbug Academy, "membre correspondant" of the French Academie Royale des Sciences. According to Werner Heisenberg, "Boskovic occupies outstanding place as a theologian, philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer." On the left portrait of Boskovic by Edge Pine, London 1760. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 01 Jan 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10048/1/James-J-Sadkovichs-monograph-quotTudjman-the-first-political-biographyquot.html James Sadkovich is the author of the monograph Tudjman: prva politicka biografija, his first political biography, in 2010, Zagreb (in Croatian). He is an independent scholar who holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Dr. Sadkovich completed the initial research for this monograph  while a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. We provide an interview by Julienne Eden Bu¹iæ. julienne-eden.busic@zg.htnet.hr (Julienne Busic) Sat, 11 Dec 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10044/1/Professor-Mladen-Bestvina-associate-editor-of-the-Annals-of-Mathematics.html Professor Mladen Bestvina, on the photo with his wife Cynthia, is associate editor of the Annals of Mathematics since 2006, one of the most prestigious mathematical journals in the world. He completed his studies of mathematics at the University of Zagreb before he moved to the USA. Professor Bestvina is distinguished professor of mathematics at the University of Utah. He is a member of the editorial board of Glasnik Matematièki, a Croatian math journal. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 06 Dec 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10041/1/Croatian-Middle-Age-Poetry-by-A-Kapetanovic-D-Malic-and-K-Strkalj-Despot.html  Croatian Medieval Poetry, written by Amir Kapetanoviæ, Dragica Maliæ and Kristina ©trkalj Despot, is the first complete chrestomathy and monograph of Croatian medieval texts written in verse during the period of 14th-16th centuries, in Old Latin, Croatian Glagolitic and Croatian Cyrillic scripts. Publishing this amazing book by the Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics is a great event for Croatian culture. It has nearly 1000 pages. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10040/1/Nenad-Bans-scientific-work-is-regarded-as-a-milestone-in-biochemical-research.html The 2010 Wieland Prize went to Croatian scientist Professor Nenad Ban of the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biophysics of the ETH Zurich for his definition of the molecular structures of fatty acid synthases (FAS) in fungi and mammals, the molecular assembly lines for lipid production. His great achievement now allows a precise understanding of how these large, complex biological machines function. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 24 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10032/1/Michael-McAdams-1947-2010-historian-and-sincere-Croatian-friend.html C. Michael McAdams (1947-2010) is best known for his important monograph Hrvatska - mit i istina (Croatia Myth & Reality), published in Croatian, Swedish, Danish, Spanish (2 editions), and English (3 editions). Other translations are planned. We invite you to read an article by Croatian historian Dr. Ante Èuvalo written in memory of Michael McAdams. cuvalo@gmail.com (Dr. Ante �uvalo) Sat, 13 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10029/1/Dr-Ante-Cuvalo-PhD-dissertations-dealing-with-Croatia-and-Bosnia-Herzegovina.html By the courtesy of  Dr. Ante Èuvalo,  distinguished Croatian historian, we can offer you an impressive and yet incomplete list of recent Ph. D. dissertations dealing with Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, on various subjects, defended in the past several years throughout the world. cuvalo@gmail.com (Dr. Ante �uvalo) Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10006/1/Dr-Borislav-Arapovic-elected--member-of-the-Russian-Academy-of-Sciences-2010.html Dr. Borislav Arapoviæ, Croatian philologist, founder of the Institute for Bible Translation in Stockholm, was elected the foreign member of the famous Russian Academy of Sciences, in 1999 for his work on organizing the translation of the Bible into about 80 non-Slavic languages of the former SU. About eight million copies of the Bible have been issued till now. Founding the Institute for Bible Translation in Moscow in 1997 has been blessed by late Patriarch Alexij II. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9996/1/Sir-Iain-Chalmers-medical-scientist-interviewed-at-the-University-of-Split-Croatia.html In 2010 Sir Iain Chalmers, distinguished medical expert from UK, was a guest of the School of Medicine of the University of Split, Croatia. On this occasion he gave an interesting interview dealing with his contacts with Croatian scientists, Croatian Medical Journal, and his rich medical experience. He practised as a clinician for seven years in the UK and the Gaza Strip, and then became a full time health services researcher. mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9971/1/Croatian-train-another-great-product-by-KONCAR---Electric-Vehicles-Inc.html Croatia is one among only six countries in Europe producing their own trains. The new Croatian train produced by KONCAR - Electric Vehicles Inc offers the state of the art concept, excellent design, air-condition, ergonomic seats and panoramic glazing enabling a comfortable drive. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 17 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9969/1/Erazmo-Ben-Ticac-Croatian-leading-planner-of-Savannah-nuclear-ship-1959.html The Savannah nuclear ship, the first nuclear-powered merchant ship, was built to the plans of Erazmo Tiæac 1904-1968, a Croatian  born near the naval port of Rijeka. After the president Dwight Eisenhower announced his decision to build an experimental nuclear-powered merchant ship, Tiæac became the leading planner. The ship was launched in 1959. On a plaque above the entrance to the ship's lounge was written in golden letters: "Ben Tiæac, naval architect". darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 09 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9957/1/Dr-Edward-L-Miloslavich-Croatian-investigator-of-the-Katyn-Forest-tragedy.html Dr. Edward Lucas Miloslavich (Eduard Luka Miloslaviæ), professor at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, was one among 12 medical experts who investigated the Katyn Forest tragedy in 1943. In 1951 and 1952 he gave an official report also to the Congress of the USA. We express our deep condolances to the Polish people on the occasion of the airplane tragedy of April 10 2010. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9952/1/Mervan-Pasic-Croatian-mathematician-invited-by-Japanese-colleagues.html  Dr. Mervan Pa¹iæ, professor of Mathematics at the University of Zagreb, visited Japan from November 11-22 2009 upon the invitation of Japanese mathematicians: Yuki Naito, Hiroyuki Usami, Tetsutaro Shibata and Jitsuro Sugie. He delivered an invited lecture at the University of Hiroshima and a plenary lecture at the University of Kyoto. The cities of Kyoto and Zagreb are twinned since 1972. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 03 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9949/1/Professor-Henrik-Heger-founder-of-Croatian-studies-at-Sorbonne-in-Paris-in-1981.html  Henrik Heger, distinguished Croatian scientist, is professor at Sorbonne in Paris, one of the most prestigious universities in the world. He founded Croatian Studies at Sorbonne already in 1981. In 1983 professor Heger organized an important international symposium Les croates et la civilisation du livre  (Croatians and the Civilization of the Book). He has contributed enormously to spreading the knowledge about Croatian culture. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9934/1/Croatian-president-awards-lifetime-achievement-award-to-Hedvig-Hricak-MD.html Radiological Society of North America President Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. h.c., an internationally recognized leader in radiology research and public education, received a lifetime achievement award from Croatian President Stjepan Mesic at a December ceremony in Croatia. Dr. Hricak is a native of Croatia. mijat.marko@gmail.com (Marko Mijat) Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9929/1/Vladimir-Hudolin-distinguished-Croatian-psychiatrist-and-humanist.html  Vladimir Hudolin, 1922-1996, is distinguished Croatian psychiastrist of worldwide reputation, professor at the University of Zagreb. He has  created the social-ecological approach to alcohol  related problems centred on the  family  and on the community. In Italy only more than 2500 Clubs of Alcoholics have been founded which exploit his methodology. Professor Hudolin is a honorary citizen of San Daniele del Friuli, Italy, since 1983. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9907/1/Jaksa-Cvitanic-a-leading-expert-in-Mathematical-Finance.html Jak¹a Cvitaniæ is Professor of Mathematical Finance at Caltech. Prior to joining Caltech in 2005, he held positions as Professor of Mathematics and Economics at USC and Associate Professor of Statistics at Columbia University. He is regarded as a leading expert in mathematical finance. Professor Cvitaniæ was born in the city of Split, Croatia, and completed his studies of mathematics at the University of Zagreb. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9894/1/Professors-Z-Drmac-and-K-Veselic-received-prestigeous-SIAM-math-prize.html Two distinguished Croatian mathematicians, professors Zlatko Drmaè, University of Zagreb, Croatia, and Kre¹imir Veseliæ on the  photo, professor emeritus of the University of Hagen, Germany, received a prestigeous 2009 Linear Algebra Prize from the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics - SIAM, for the best scientific work published in the preceding three years in the field of Linear Algebra. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9891/1/Branko-Katalinic-Croatian-scientist-directing-DAAAM-in-Vienna-for-20-years.html Branko Kataliniæ, professor of robotics at the Technical University in Vienna, Austria, has founded a prestigeous international association DAAAM in 1990. In 2009 the 20th annual conference of DAAAM has been organized in Vienna. Among the past conferences, four of them have been organized in Croatia: in Dubrovnik, twice in Opatija and in Zadar. The DAAAM comprises more than fifty member states and hundreds of international organizations. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9890/1/Matko-Marusic-as-a-student-of-medicine-in-Zagreb-40-years-ago.html The home town of professor Matko Maru¹iæ is Split, on the Adriatic coast, some 200 miles south of Zagreb; that is where his parents lived, and what he calls "home". Interestingly, more than 40 years later, in 2008, he returned to live and work in Split, where he today serves as the Dean of the University of Split School of Medicine. We provide an excerpt from his 630-page anthology of 31 humorous stories about medicine. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9867/1/Zvonimir-Janko-and-Yakov-Berkovich-authors-of-important-math-monograph.html Israeli mathematician Yakov Berkovitch and Croatian mathematician Zvonimir Janko have published a voluminous joint monograph "Groups of Prime Power Order", part II, comprising 520 pp. Professor Janko is known for the discovery of his famous sporadic groups J1, J2, J3, and J4. The discovery of J1 in 1964 has launched the quest for other sporadic groups. He is one of originators of the theory of p-groups. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9857/1/Differential-Equations-and-Applications-a-new-Math-journal-in-Croatia.html Differential Equations and Applications is a new professional mathematical journal in Croatia launched in 2009 upon the initiative of Professor Neven Elezoviæ on the photo, University of Zagreb. One of its three editors in chief is Professor Mervan Pa¹iæ from the same University. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9843/1/Ivan-Vucetic-dactiloscopy-exhibition-in-Milan-Italy-in-July-2009.html An important exhibition dedicated to Ivan Juan Vuèetiæ, founder of scientific dactiloscopy - identification by fingerprints, has been organized in Milan from July 8-20 2009, in the representative building of Palazzo Triennale  It was conceived by Ljerka Galic from the Croatian Hertage Foundation in Zagreb, who opened the exhibition in the presence of Consul General of Argentina, Consul General of Croatia, representatives of Italian State Police and other guests. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9835/1/Igor-Stagljar-distinguished-Croatian-molecular-biologist-in-Toronto.html Professor Igor ©tagljar and his team of scientists in Toronto began developing an original biological method for the identification of new proteins involved in the development of cancer. This method paved the way for the research of grave genetic diseases, particularly cystic fibrosis. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9836/1/Bozidar-Finka-1925-1999-distinguished-Croatian-linguist.html Bo¾idar Finka 1925-1999 was distignuished Croatian linguist, a member of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. This article has been published on the occasion of 10th year anniversary of his death. He is one of the authors of the Croatian orthography prepared in  1971. jasna.finka@zg.t-com.hr (Jasna Finka, prof.) Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9814/1/Andrea-Kulier-17-years-old-Croatian-in-the-USA-to-study-cosmology-at-Princeton.html Andrea Kulier who is only 17-years-old will graduate from California State Los Angeles University and attend Princeton in the fall to study cosmology. Kulier and her family immigrated to the U.S. from Croatia. While most in her age group are graduating high school, Andrea Kulier received dual bachelor's degrees and is on course for a PhD. JKraljic@msn.com (John Kralji�, Esq) Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9787/1/Ivo-Macela-distinguished-Croatian-medical-scientist-in-Prague-and-Bratislava.html Dr. Ivo Maæela 1891-1952, born in Trpanj on Pelje¹ac peninsula, was professor at the Charles University in Prague and at the Comenium University in Bratislava. In 1945 he founded the Medical Faculty in Plzen in Czech Republic. In 1947 he was nominated unanimously candidate for the Nobel Prize by the Council of Professors at the Medical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague, for his research and important achievements in endocrinology. najka.mirkovic@du.t-com.hr (Najka Mirkovi�) Sat, 02 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9783/1/Mladen-V-Wickerhauser-Croatian-American-mathematician.html Mladen V. Wickerhauser is Croatian American mathematician working at Washington University St. Louis, Missouri. His field of professional interestes is in the wavelet analysis and signal processing. In March 2009 he visited his native Zagreb and delivered a lecture at the Department of Mathematics, PMF, University of Zagreb. Dr. ®eljko Hanj¹, University of Zagreb, made a very interesting interview with him. zeljko.hanjs@fer.hr (Dr. �eljko Hanj�) Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9734/1/Prof-dr-Sreaeko-Gajoviae-utilizes-glowing-mice-to-study-stroke.html A group of scientists at the Croatian Brain Research Institute in cooperation with the Laval University in Canada started a research on post-stroke events in the brain using unique models. Project was started by the group of prof. dr. Sreæko Gajoviæ, Head of the Section for Neurogenetics, Cytogenetics and Developmental Genetics at the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. srecko.gajovic@hiim.hr (Prof.Dr. Sre�ko Gajovi�) Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9713/1/Davor-Pavuna-Croatian-Physicist-in-Obama8217s-Science-Team-chosen-by-Steven-Chu.html  Steven Chu, Nobel Prize winner and Obama’s energy minister, has named Croatian physicist prof. dr. Davor Pavuna as one of the reviewers of projects at the U.S. Department of Energy. Reviewing projects for the DOE will be an enormous challenge because it will focus on avant-garde research that, among other things, includes new materials, high-temperature superconductivity, so-called green energy and green technologies. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 31 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9702/1/Dr-Mladen-Vraniae-in-the-Canadian-Medical-Hall-of-Fame.html In a world where diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, Dr. Mladen Vraniæ is colossal. He is recognized as a global leader in diabetes research. In 2009 he will join the group of outstanding individuals recognized by the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9698/1/Erik-Margan-praised-on-EN-Genius-Network-Why-we-break-the-protons.html You can't make an omelet without breaking the eggs. Likewise, you can't pretend to know a thing or two about Life, the Universe, and Everything, without breaking a few of its constituent parts. Like a child breaking his new toy, driven by a sheer desire to see what's inside, the physicists at CERN will break the protons to see what will show up. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9695/1/Goran-Simic-is-the-worlds-best-neuropathologist-in-2008.html Prof. Dr. Goran ©imiæ from the University of Zagreb won the award for his discovery of the spinal muscular - atrophy mechanism and, due to that, has been acclaimed as the world's best neuropathologist in 2008. The "Kurt Jellinger Prize" is awarded by one of the world's leading magazines specialising in neuropathology, "Acta Neuropathologica."  ©imiæ is also the first Croatian scientist whose picture has appeared on the cover of the journal. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9672/1/Zlata-Bartl-Croatian-inventor-of-Vegeta-died.html Zlata Bartl (1920-2008) is known as inventor of Vegeta, an original, natural, and universal condiment of unique taste. Vegeta was created in 1958 in Podravka company in the town of Koprivnica, Croatia, and is used in over 40 countries. It is one of the most popular of European condiments. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 14 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9658/1/Lavoslav-Ruzicka-Croatian-Nobel-Prize-winner-from-Vukovar.html Lavoslav Leopold Ru¾ièka (1887-1976) is one among three Croatian winners of the Nobel Prize. Born in the town of Vukovar, he obtained the Nobel Prize for chemistry while working et ETH, Zurich, Switzerland. In Vukovar the home of his birth has been renovated in 2007 from the 1991 destruction, now known as the Ru¾ièka House. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9647/1/Hrvoje-Saric-1922-2007--inventor-of-the-first-360-degree-camera.html In 1972 Hrvoje Sariæ invented and patented the first professional 360  degree synchro-rotational photo-camera in history. In 1988 he deviced the first electronical construction consisting of nine BETACAM videocameras, catching the range of the full circle. It was used at 1998 and 2000 EXPO exhibitions in Lisbon and Hannover in Portugal and Germany. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9635/1/Ivan-Vueetiae-the-father-of-dactiloscopy---fingerprinting-as-a-method-of-identification.html Ivan Vuèetiæ (1858-1925), in Argentina better known as Juan Vucetich, introduced dactilosopy, that is, fingerprinting as a method of identification. This year we mark 150 years since his birth on the island of Hvar. On this occasion The Croatian Heritage Foundation in Zagreb has organized a series of events and issued a nice publication. muzej@matis.hr (Ljerka Galic, prof.) Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9625/1/Marin-Soljaeiae-Named-MacArthur-Fellow-for-Work-on-Wireless-Power.html Asked how it felt to be a certified genius, Marin Soljaèiæ (left) laughed, "What, did I just grow a second head?" No, it's just that his head’s in two fields at once-electrical engineering and physics. That polyvirtuosity may have helped the MIT professor win one of the 25 fellowships announced today by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9605/1/Erik-Margan-an-artistic-scientist-in-search-for-invisible-particles.html Erik Margan is a specialist in electronics working in Slovenia, with roots from Croatia. He participates a particle physics experiment called ATLAS at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. The ATLAS detector will search for new discoveries in the head-on collisions of protons of extraordinarily high energy. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9595/1/Andrija-Stampar-Croatian-scientist-father-of-the-World-Health-Organization.html Andrija ©tampar (1888-1958), Croatian scientist and professor at the University of Zagreb, is the father of the World Health Organization, founded 60 years ago. He introduced the public health service in China in 1930s, where he spent three years as a specialist and representative of the then League of Nations. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9593/1/Richard-Hortons-lecture-in-Zagreb.html Richard Horton is editor in chief of The Lancet, one of the oldest and most influential medical journals in the world, issued in Great Britain. In May 2008 he delivered a lecture in Zagreb concerning the problems of scientific publishing. He stressed outstanding achievements of the Croatian Medical Journal and scientific legacy of professors Ana and Matko Maru¹iæ. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9586/1/International-Conference-in-honour-of-Josip-Pecaric-in-Trogir-Croatia.html On the left you can see three mathematicians: professor Lars-Erik Persson, Sweden, academician Vladimir D. Stepanov, Russia, and academician Josip Peèariæ, Croatia. An exceptionally successful international math conference was orgnaized in June in the town of Trogir, attended by 150 participants. Trogir is a part of World Cultural Heritage, protected by UNESCO. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9576/1/Korado-Korlevic-and-Visnjan-Astronomical-Observatory-in-Croatia.html Korado Korleviæ is Croatian astronomer of international reputation, infatigable promoter and popularizer of astronomy, especially among the young. He founded the Vi¹njan Observatory in the town of Vi¹njan in Istria, where he discovered more than 1,100 asteroids and three comets. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9543/1/University-of-Oklahoma-to-conduct-modernization-study-for-Croatia.html   The University of Oklahoma will conduct a year-long study on modernizing Croatia's weather service. A team from the school's Office of Weather Programs and Projects was chosen to undertake the $500,000 (€321,000) study to determine how to update the country's weather service infrastructure, which is left over from the Soviet era. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9486/1/The-Croatian-Centre-for-Global-Health-has-launched.html The Croatian Centre for Global Health has recently been founded at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Split, Croatia. Its co-founders, Professor Ana Marusic and Professor Igor Rudan, are both hoping that the Centre will help to re-integrate Croatian biomedical science into global trends. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9467/1/Professor-Balthazar-and-Zagreb-Film-a-Croatian-trademark.html Probably the most famous Croatian professor worldwide is Professor Balthazar, a well known figure from Croatian cartoon movie series initiated in 1967 by late Zlatko Grgiæ. This was the most successful project of Zagreb Film ever. His popularity is amazing even today, especially in Scandinavian countries, but also in Iran for example! darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 09 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9453/1/Professor-Mladen-Vraniae-outstanding-Croatian-scientist-in-Canada.html Distinguished researcher and educator in medical sciences (endocrinology and metabolism) and former chair of physiology, where 85 years ago insulin was discovered. He earned the title of Honorary Medical Doctor from Karolinska Institute, Sweden. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9425/1/Mime-Cuvalo-web-developer-and-proponent-of-open-web-standards.html Mime Cuvalo, on the photo with small Stipo Adzaip, is a young Croatian web developer and proponent of open web standards. He is currently employed at three jobs: YouTube/Google, finishing up FireFTP, and creating the online music database The Rock Hard Times. His "charityware" FireFTP has been downloaded over 4.5 million times! darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9393/1/Croatia-to-hold-quotAccess-to-Infoquot-conference.html Zadar (pictured left) will be the host of a symposium from 28 to 30 January 2008, where participants will talk about barriers to accessing information, whether they are political, social, economic or technical, and then come up with ways to break through them. The keynote speaker will be Professor Ana Maru¹iæ MD, PhD, and Editor of the Croatian Medical Journal. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9386/1/Croatian-Medical-Journal-appreciates-Your-support-in-2007.html Croatian Medical Journal appreciates Your support and contribution in the year that is behind us. In 2007 CMJ has published 67 original scientific articles. CMJ published the thematic issue on Poverty and Human Development, together with 237 journals from 37 countries in the Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development. mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9376/1/Zvonimir-Janko-an-outstanding-Croatian-mathematician.html Zvonimir Janko, professor of mathematics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, is a well known expert in the theory of finite groups. His discovery in 1964 of the group now called the first Janko group in his honour, launched the modern theory of sporadic groups. We wish him a happy 75th birthday! And a happy 100th birthday to his father in Bjelovar, Croatia! darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 08 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9348/1/Silvija-Gradeeak---young-and-brilliant-Croatian-scientist-born-in-Vukovar.html Professor Silvija Gradeèak, with diploma in physics, University of Zagreb, Croatia, 1999, is employed at MIT, USA. Her research focuses on nano-photonics and electronics. She explores novel optoelectronic applications such as nanoscale light-emitting sources, single photon sources, or nanowire lasers. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9342/1/Croatian-Medical-Journal-takes-a-lead-among-235-journals-from-37-countries.html The Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes for Health organized the public presentation of the largest coordinated publishing effort in medicine - Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development.  At the NIH presentation, the lead speaker was Professor Ana Marusic, editor of the CMJ and current president of the Council of Science Editors. marusica@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Ana Maru�i�) Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9312/1/ProfDr-Daniel-D-Gajski-a-hero-of-Computer-Science.html Prof.Dr. Franz Ramming: "... Daniel Gajski did not just light the fire, he also fuelled it substantially. During the last three decades he achieved pioneering results. He was a principal contributor to the areas Silicon Compilation, High-Level Synthesis, and System-Level Design. ..." c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkovi�) Sun, 21 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9289/1/Opportunity-for-Croatian-Talent---RechargeIT-Request-for-Investment.html   Earlier this summer, Google.org launched its RechargeIT Initiative to accelerate the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology through technical demonstrations, grant-making, advocacy and investments.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9288/1/Making-an-electrifying-difference-to-climate-change.html   Wattwatt.com is a social network website that brings together people interested in making a difference. It provides the means for more direct public involvement in helping identify priorities and in finding the solutions  for increasing electrical energy efficiency. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9284/1/Henry-Suzzallo-president-of-the-University-of-Washington-from-1915-to-1926.html Henry Suzzallo (1875-1933) was president of the University of Washington from 1915 to 1926. The central library of the University of Washington is called Suzzallo Library. His parents Petar and Ana Suzzallo, Croatians originating from Dalmatia, arrived to San Francisco in 1852. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 01 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9264/1/1st-US-Croatian-conference-on-the-ICT-Biotechnology-and-Pharmaceutical-Industry.html  The Conference in Split, Croatia, October 1-4, 2007, will feature renowned experts from the U.S. and Croatia who will focus on determining opportunities and strategies that will lead to increased collaboration in several key areas that might directly influence educational and scientific exchange, investment and trade between the U.S. and Croatia in the ICT, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry sectors. mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9254/1/Prvo-slubeno-mikroeipiranje-konja-u-Hrvatskoj.html  Oznaèavanja mikroèipom je "prijateljska" metoda koja doprinosi dobrobiti ¾ivotinja, a ujedno omoguæava i identifikaciju ¾ivotinje, cjelo¾ivotno praæenje ¾ivotinje kako u uzgojno - selekcijskom radu tako i u praæenju zdravstvenog stanja konja. mcacic@inet.hr (Mato �a�i�, M.Sc.) Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9241/1/Space-Travelers-Gather-in-Croatia-for-Historic-Summit.html     stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9232/1/Astronauts-and-Cosmonauts-LIVE-from-Croatia-Aug-24---26-2007.html   The Astrophysics Initiative in Dalmatia letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9223/1/Ivan-Krstiae-Harvard-Making-antivirus-software-obsolete.html  Instead of blocking specific viruses, Krstiæ's system sequesters every program on the computer in a separate virtual operating system, preventing any program from damaging the computer, stealing files, or spying on the user. "This defeats the entire purpose of writing a virus," says Krstiæ. hrabri.rajic@intel.com (Hrabri Raji�, Ph.D.) Sun, 19 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9201/1/MEDILS-Znaeajni-rezultati-u-svega-4-mjeseca-rada.html   Usagla¹eni su znanstveni programi i smjernice za rad u slijedeæoj godini. Isto tako, ¾elimo napomenuti da su prva dva projekta, "Bioinformatika i Biofizika" i "Genetika smrti u kvasca", veæ poluèili znaèajne originalne rezultate. medils@medils.hr (Dr. Bojan �agrovi�) Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9200/1/Marko-Puljiae-PhD-Philosophy-with-the-touch-of-Artificial-Intelligence.html   Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science, University of Memphis, 2005. Master of Science in Finance, Fogelman College of Business and Economics, 1998. Bachelor of Science in Mathematics / Economics, University of Zagreb, 1996. Unique, to say the least. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9190/1/Honey-bees-hunt-for-landmines-in-Croatia.html   Honey bees buzz over Croatian meadows in an experimental hunt for explosives in an effort to clear away potentially deadly landmines. No field is ever 100% cleared, and that is why any method by which we could additionally increase security is priceless. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9180/1/Forensic-approach-to-investigation-of-human-right-violations.html Excavation of site in Dalmatian hinterland, near the village of Zagvozd. All remains were men, mainly middle-aged, with gunshot wounds to the head. All of the positively identified remains belonged to the Franciscan friars allegedly killed in Herzegovina and buried at the analyzed site.  mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9178/1/The-Visnjan-Summer-School-of-Science.html Summer School of Science (S3/S3++) is a science workshop held at Visnjan Observatory for high school students interested in natural sciences.  branimir.lukic@epfl.ch (Branimir Lukic) Thu, 02 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9117/1/Marin-Soljacic-A-New-Nikola-Tesla-in-Zagreb.html   The scientist was visibly moved by interest of Croatian media in his work and prime minister praised his team and invention. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9158/1/Ana-Maruiae-MD-PhD-President-of-Council-of-Science-Editors.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9157/1/Croatian-Medical-Journals-Receive-International-Recognition.html   Two Croatian medical journals, "Croatian Medical Journal" and "Lijecnicke novine", received important international recognition, which was not given much attention in Croatian media. mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9143/1/International-conference-in-honour-of-Academician-Josip-Peeariae.html We are pleased to announce the conference Mathematical Inequalities and Applications 2008 in Trogir and Split. This conference is organized in honour of Professor Josip Peèariæ on the occasion of his 60th birthday. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9131/1/Croatia-founded-a-national-body-for-ethics-in-science.html    mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9098/1/arko-Dolinar-table-tennis-world-champion-and-top-scientist.html   Croatian table tennis player Professor ®arko Dolinar (1920-2003) holds a quite interesting record. He is the only athlete to have won eight world championships while holding a doctorate of science. He taught John Lennon how to play table tennis. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9101/1/Help-harness-renewable-energy-from-waves-and-tides.html IEC, the global body for electrical energy standards, is now recruiting experts from around the world to develop international standards for wave and tidal energy technology.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9081/1/The-Unity-through-Knowledge-Fund-for-skilled-Croatians-from-abroad.html The UKF has started its Young Researchers and Professionals Program and opened two calls for grants that will attract young highly skilled Croatians from abroad. The grants will subsidy autonomous R&D projects of the future science and technology leaders. The projects should contribute to brain gain, knowledge transfer and investments into Croatia. pizeta@irb.hr (Ivan�ica Pi�eta, Ph. D.) Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9070/1/Suddenly-the-bees-are-simply-vanishing.html  The puzzling phenomenon, known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, has been reported in 35 states, five Canadian provinces and several European countries. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9064/1/ProfDr-Marin-Soljacic-Wireless-technology-used-to-power-light-bulb.html   Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology made a 60 watt light bulb glow by sending it energy wirelessly - from a device 7 feet away - potentially heralding a future in which cellphones and other gadgets get their juice without having to be plugged in. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9059/1/A-major-link-exchange-with-The-Mac-Tutor-History-of-Mathematics-Archive.html The Mac Tutor History of Mathematics Archive is the leading web site dealing with the History of Mathematics. It contains also biographies of three outstanding Croatian mathematicians: Ruðer Bo¹koviæ, Marin Getaldiæ, and William Feller. In May 2007 the Mac Tutor included a link to a Croatian source dealing with Feller.  darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9055/1/Honey-Bees-Being-Trained-to-Find-Landmines.html  An interesting new way of detecting lands mines has been developed in Croatia. This the new method uses regular honeybees to search out dangerous land mines. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9047/1/II-kongres-hrvatskih-znanstvenika-iz-domovine-i-inozemstva.html U Splitu je od 7. do 10. svibnja 2007. odr¾an Drugi kongres hrvatskih znanstvenika iz domovine i inozemstva. Kongres se odvijao u pet tematskih cjelina: Europski i meðunarodni projekti, Suradnja s gospodarstvom i tehnologijski projekti, Razvoj znanstvenih institucija, Strate¹ki okvir razvoja znanosti do 2010., Privlaèenje pozornosti medija na znanstvene teme.  darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 29 May 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9031/1/New-power-generation-technologies-to-be-built-in-Croatia.html Siemens and the Israeli-US firm Ormat presented a joint proposal for building a geothermal power plant in Bjelovar, Croatia  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9004/1/Unity-through-Knowledge-Fund-first-Calls-for-Proposals-open.html Unity through Knowledge Fund has recently launched its first program and announced the Calls for Proposals for financing joint research projects of Croatian expatriate scientists and experts with their Croatian colleagues. Read more...   mestric@ukf.hr (Hrvoje Mestric, Ph.D.) Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8938/1/Second-Congress-of-Croatian-Scientists-from-the-Homeland-and-Abroad-May-7-10-2007.html   Hrvoje.Pavletic@mzos.hr (Ministry of Science Education and Sports) Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8936/1/3-Simpozij-o-prehospitalnoj-urgentnoj-medicini-VINJAN-CROATIA-16-17-02-2007.html Na¹ skup skup ima za cilj iznijeti iskustva kolega koji su bili u kaznenim i prekr¹ajnim procesima, obavijestiti medicinare o njihovim pravima. Pozvat æemo i predstavnike sudstva, HLK I HLS posebno pravnike tih slu¾bi da nam iznesu svoje poglede na te teme.  stjepan.arnold@pu.t-com.hr (Dr. Stjepan Arnold) Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8926/1/Croatia-India-Sign-Co-operation-Agreement.html  Croatian Minister of Science Dragan Primorac and his visiting Indian counterpart, Kapil Sibal, signed a declaration on strengthening bilateral scientific and technological co-operation. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Wed, 07 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8900/1/Andrija-Mohorovieiae-and-his-MOHO-discontinuity-of-the-Earth.html Among scientists studying seismology the famous Moho layer (or Moho discontinuity) of the Earth is well known. It was named after the great Croatian geophysicist Andrija Mohorovièiæ (1857-1936), professor at the University of Zagreb. His discovery was essential for understanding the inner structure of the Earth and the behavior of seismic waves. This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian science.   darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 17 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8890/1/George-M-Slavich-PhD-Lecture-at-Mediterranean-Institute-for-Life-Sciences-Jan-10th-2007.html 'Life Stress and the Development of Depression' George M. Slavich, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences Me¹troviæevo ¹etali¹te b.b. Split, Croatia Wednesday, January 10th, 2006 6:00pm - 8:00pm   Prosper.Radonic@medils.hr (Prosper Radonic) Tue, 09 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8869/1/William-Feller--outstanding-Croatian---American-mathematician.html  William Feller (Zagreb, 1906 - New York, 1970), graduated in mathematics from the University of Zagreb (1925), earned his PhD in Göttingen (1926), since 1939 living in the USA. One of the founders of Probability Theory as a scientific discipline. Many mathematical notions bear his name. Author of a one of the best math textbooks of the 20th century. Recipient of the National Medal of Science, USA. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 15 Dec 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8844/1/The-dead-sexy-Tesla-delivers-on-its-promise-100--Electric-car-No-more-excuses.html     c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkovi�) Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8830/1/Knjievni-Petak---Tragovima-znanja-u-buduaenost.html     ante@medri.hr (Prof.Dr. Ante Simoni�) Thu, 23 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8829/1/U-HRVATSKU-SE-VRAAEA-SEDMERO-VRHUNSKIH-ZNANSTVENIKA.html     mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Thu, 23 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8824/1/Adolph-Lomb-Medal-2005-Marin-Soljacic.html   Adolph Lomb was OSA's treasurer from its founding until his death in 1932. In recognition of his devotion to OSA and the advancement of optics, the Adolph Lomb Medal, established in 1940, is presented to a person who has made a noteworthy contribution to optics at an early age. The candidate cannot be older than the age of 35. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 18 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8818/1/BBC-Physics-promises-wireless-power---Dr-Marin-Soljaeiae.html   "There are so many autonomous devices such as cell phones and laptops that have emerged in the last few years," said Assistant Professor Marin Soljacic from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the researchers behind the work. "We started thinking, 'it would be really convenient if you didn't have to recharge these things'. c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkovi�) Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8808/1/Global-Engineering-Excellence-recommendations-for-the-future-education-of-engineers.html   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 10 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8803/1/Znanstvena-i-tehnologijska-politika-Republike-Hrvatske---Science-and-Technology-Policy-of-the-Republic-of-Croatia.html     mmarusic@mef.hr (Prof. Dr. Matko Maru�i�) Thu, 09 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8794/1/Launching-of-the-National-Fellowships-8220For-Women-in-Science8221.html  It is with particular pleasure that we would like to announce the launching of the National Fellowships "For Women in Science" organized by L'Oreal Adria and the Croatian Commission for UNESCO, Ministry of Culture, with the purpose of awarding young women scientists from the Republic of Croatia.   ljerka.ivankovic@sabor.hr (Ljerka Ivankovi�) Wed, 08 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8736/1/Lord-of-the-DNA-ring.html Zagreb, Croatia. The study was completed in cooperation between the Croatian research institute Rudjer Boskovic and the Paris-based Necker Institute. Ksenija Zahradka, a leading researcher in the study, told a news conference. "It is an extremely fascinating phenomenon to see how a cell itself can repair its fairly destroyed DNA." Croatian scientist Miroslav Radman supervised the experimental part of the study. October 3rd 2006. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 04 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8735/1/Croatians-Show-the-Way-to-Immortality.html ZAGREB - Croatian scientists have worked out how a radiation-resistant bacterium that can exist in extreme conditions repairs damage to itself, a discovery which could provide clues about diseases such as cancer. "Through evolution, the bacteria have developed a mechanism to precisely reconstruct its DNA. Until now this has been a scientific riddle," Ksenija Zahradka, a leading researcher in the study, told a news conference.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 04 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8570/1/H-Hrvatski-Fizicari-PRVI-ispred-Njemacke-i-Koreje--Rusije-USA.html Hrvatski Fizicari PRVI ispred Njemacke i Koreje ... Rusije, USAOdlicna vijest za stasajucu mladu Hrvatsku ZNANJA :Tim mladih fizicara iz Hrvatske je osvojio PRVO MJESTOna redovnom Medjunarodnom turniru u Bratislavi od 5 do 12. srpnja :http://www.iypt.sk/iypt.php?category=Tournament&item=Results&detail=final ispred Njemacke (2.) i Juzne Koreje (3.) ... te Australije, USA, Rusije ...Nase iskrene cestitke svim mladim natjecateljima i voditeljima tima,Dr.-u Zeljku MarohniÃÂu (Institut za fiziku) i prof. Dariu Micicu iz V gimanzije u Zagrebu.Dakle, nemamo samo sportase koji pobjedjuju !Davor :-)Seventeen problems which have to be solved are selected by the International committee after the international meeting. These problems are made public in August, latest September. Than students are free to prepare solutions for most of these problems. In March or April in participating countries the national rounds are organized - to select the best students for the international meeting. The methods vary from country to country - where a good tradition and a lot of interesting students exist, the rules from the International tournament are adopted. In other countries individual students are selected. In the international meeting, every state has the right to participate with one group of students - a team. During the meeting, these teams meet in groups of three, where every team is challenged by an other one to present a solution to a specific problem; the challenging team presents a critique (opposition) for the solution and the third participating team makes a short review about both presentations. Also a short discussion is part of the performance. After this, an assembly of scientists - a jury evaluates the performance of all teams. Five rounds are performed during the whole meeting, so every team has the possibility to present the solution of five problems. The three best teams have at the end the opportunity to present a solution of their own problem during the final - the best team becomes a winner. The TournamentThe 19th IYPT will take place in Bratislava (Slovakia) from 5 to 12 July 2006. The fights take place at the Comenius University.The International Young Physicists' Tournament (for reasons of brevity we'll call it just "IYPT" or "the tournament" from now on) is, as its name suggests, a competition for students from all over the world who are interested in physics. It consists of a number of "physics fights", where three teams (composed of five students each) have in turns to present and defend their solution to a problem, criticise this solution or report on the performances of the two other teams involved in the fight. Their respective performances are then marked by an international jury. After five preliminary rounds the best three teams qualify for the final fight. Although the problems are already known in advance and you can use every available resource (books, internet, your physics teacher, even a nobel price laureate you happen to know), there is usually not a clear and final solution to them. You can find out more about the rules of the tournament on the international IYPT website.Get an idea of what to expect at the IYPT and have a look at some impressions from the 18th IYPT in Winterthur , Switzerland.http://www.sypt.ch/tournament.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8568/1/E-Croatian-immigrant-Nikola-Tesla-celebrated-at-Brookhaven.html Brookhaven salutes 150 years of genius  By AMBROSE CLANCY MEDFORD--Genius was celebrated July 10, 2006 at Brookhaven Town Hall.In honor of the 150th anniversary of Nikola Tesla's birth, the day was named for the scientist/inventor -- and Supervisor John Jay LaValle declared that every future July 10 will be known as "Nikola Tesla Day" in Brookhaven Town. "This is a wonderful day, not just for Brookhaven but for all of Long Island," said Kenneth Blinn, a member of the Rocky Point Historical Society and one of the most dedicated advocates of preserving what is known as the "Tesla property" in Shoreham.Located at the northeast corner of Route 25A and Randall Road, the 16-acre property was first developed in 1903 as the residence and laboratory of Nikola Tesla, a Croatian immigrant who, the supervisor noted in his remarks, arrived in this country with "exactly four cents in his pocket."Tesla was the inventor of, among other things, the polyphase alternating current system and a method of transmitting that power, wireless communication, remote control and fluorescent lights. He held more than 700 patents, and although less well-known is considered an innovator on the level of Edison. He is thought by many to be the creator of radio, since a 1943 U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidated many of Guglielmo Marconi's patents.The Rocky Point Historical Society and the Friends of Science East, a not-for-profit organization established to develop a science and technology center on Eastern Long Island, have convinced Brookhaven Town to create a museum at the Shoreham site, which includes a house designed by Sanford White.In May, Mr. LaValle said the town was eager to take the property from the present owners, AGFA, which purchased all 16 acres in 1969. AGFA, a multinational corporation based in Belgium with offices in more than 40 countries, ended all manufacturing at the site about 18 years later."They would have an enormous write-off if they gave us the property," Mr. LaValle said then. "I told AGFA this is the poster child of property that should be preserved." The only roadblock seems to be an environmental cleanup. Serious contamination began in 1939 when Peerless Photo Products bought the property and chemicals used in photographic development soaked into groundwater over the years, according to Bill Fonda of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.Mr. Fonda said that two reports on the severity of the pollution were filed over the Fourth of July weekend and are being reviewed. One study determines where groundwater will migrate over the next several decades and the other tests the quality of the water on and off the site."A feasibility study is then submitted, which will give options on how the site can be cleaned up," Mr. Fonda said. "Potentially, we could have this by August." After another review, which should take about six months, a public hearing will be held to discuss various plans, the DEC official said. A decision will be made then by the state, and AGFA will begin operations which will make the property safe "for the environment and human beings," Mr. Fonda said. At the July 10 celebration, which included a cake with a Tesla Radio Tower rendered in chocolate icing, Mr. Blinn said plans for the town to take and preserve the property were coming along well. "The conversations with AGFA are ongoing about donating the property, and we're really now waiting for the state," Mr. Blinn said.(Photo) Brookhaven Town Supervisor John Jay LaValle (with cake) and others -- including (left to right) Robert White, a descendent of Stanford White; Jane Alcorn of the Friends of Long Island Science East; William Terbo, great-nephew of inventor Nikola Tesla; and Town Board members Timothy P. Mazzei and James M. Tullo -- gathered at Town Hall July 10 to celebrate the late inventor's 150th birthday.http://www.timesreview.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 11 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8569/1/H-Medicina-je-ljubav---Intervju-s-Matkom-Marusicem.html Medicina je ljubav   Razgovarao: Valerije Vr ekO medicini razgovaramo s Matkom Marusiem, sveu ilisnim profesorom fiziologije i imunologije na Medicinskom fakultetu u Zagrebu. Predstavite svoju knjigu 'Medicina iznutra'. Kakva je medicina izvana?Ja sam lije nik, istraziva i nastavnik u medicini i moja knjiga o tim stvarima govori 'iznutra'. Govori o ozbiljnim i vaznim stvarima, ali na smijesan na in, pa se svia i nemedicinarima. Prepri ava konkretne dogaaje. Smije se slabostima lije nika, bolesnika, studenata, profesora i istraziva a. Ne stedi korupciju, ali nije zla i gorka, nego vesela i optimisti na.'Medicina izvana' bila bi medicina koju vidi i dozivljava bolesnik. Bolesnik voli svojega lije nika i ezne da on bude sto u eniji i moniji i da mu posveti sto vise vremena i pozornosti. I lije nik voli i treba bolesnika, jer je lije enje posao kojemu je posvetio svoj zivot. Bolesnikovo priznanje i ljubav smisao su njegova rada i zivota. I onda se te dvije ljubavi traze i susreu u razli itim uvjetima. Nesporazumi su prirodni, a mogli bi se opisati i na smijesan na in. No treba znati da se radi o ljubavi, i da je ljubav dar Bozji. Zato bi taj dar i u slu aju medicine trebalo marljivije traziti i vise postovati.Zasto dio znanstvene javnosti prigovara da su medicinski asopisi produzena ruka industrije?Te je prigovore iznio glasoviti 'New York Times', ali oni nisu na mjestu. Prvo treba rei da farmaceutska industrija uvelike financira tzv. klini ka ispitivanja lijekova. Ona se provode na bolesnicima i vrlo su skupa. Potom istraziva i zele dobiveni rezultat objaviti u uglednom znanstvenom asopisu, jer je to na in prijenosa informacije iz pokusa u prakti nu medicinu. Znanstveni asopisi prije objavljivanja provode strogu provjeru valjanosti i vrijednosti podastrtih rezultata, pa njihovim vijestima medicina vjeruje i po njima se ravna. Drugim rije ima, nema prodaje lijeka bez objavljivanja rezultata o njemu u uglednom asopisu.Nas se asopis zove 'Croatian Medical Journal'. lan je Meunarodne udruge urednika medicinskih asopisa, koja odreuje sva pravila publiciranja u medicini. Ta skupina, u kojoj su i najugledniji medicinski asopisi na svijetu, kao ameri ki 'New England Journal of Medicine' i 'JAMA', te engleski 'British Medical Journal' i 'The Lancet', donijela je 2005. u Cavtatu iznimno vaznu odluku - da asopisi nee objavljivati lanke o rezultatima klini kih pokusa ako ti pokusi nisu prije po etka istrazivanja registrirani u nekoj javnoj pismohrani. Propisali su 20 klju nih podataka o planu pokusa koji se moraju pohraniti u pismohranu i poslije pokazati - zajedno s dobivenim rezultatima. Tako registracija plana rada na po etku omoguuje kontrolu rezultata koji se dobiju na kraju i rezultati klini kih istrazivanja sada ne mogu 'uljepsavati' sliku o lijeku.O odgovornosti urednika za neke pogreske i prijevare koje su se otkrile, moja supruga i ja, kao urednici, napisali smo raspravu za 'Medical Journal of Australia'. Drzimo da se urednike napada samo zbog toga sto su njihovi asopisi mjesto gdje se nalazi osnovni javni dokument o u incima lijekova. Objavljeni znanstveni lanak glavni je oblik komunikacije u znanosti i mjerilo znanstvene valjanosti, ali vrlo vjeste varalice kadsto izmaknu i najstru nijim provjerama. Takve probleme najbolje mogu suzbiti preventivne i obrazovne mjere cijele istraziva ke zajednice! Uvoenje obveze prethodne registracije plana klini kog istrazivanja u inkovit je potez, ali bez promicanja morala ipak se moze provui kakva poluistina ili prijevara.Mozete li komentirati prigovore da se zbog financijskih interesa 'izmisljaju bolesti'?U posljednje se vrijeme puno govori o nekim novim bolestima i mnogi sumnjaju da su one 'izmisljene' zbog financijskih interesa farmaceutskih tvrtka, zbog prodaje novih lijekova. Primjeri su 'sindrom kroni nog umora', razli ite nijanse neuroze i depresije, ili grani ni slu ajevi posttraumatskog stresnog sindroma. Odgovor na takve dvojbe mogu dati samo sustavna znanstvena istrazivanja.Ina e je izmisljanje bolesti poznato otkad je svijeta i vijeka. Kad bolesnik izmislja bolest, onda je to ve samo po sebi bolest! Kadsto moze i lije nik, suosjeajui s bolesnikom, svjesno ili nesvjesno - sudjelovati u izmisljanju. I za to bi trebalo imati razumijevanja. No, kad se upletu izravni materijalni dobici, napose na strani lije nika, prekrsaj treba prokazati i kazniti.Poseban je problem izmisljanje novih postupka lije enja i lijekova. To je ona prijevara koja se krije pod imenima alternativne medicine, narodne medicine ili 'otkria' koja ne postuju pravila istraziva kog rada. Ljudima treba jasno rei da je znanstvena medicina jedini put do boljega zdravlja. Nazalost, paramedicina se sve vise siri. Vjera suvremenoga ovjeka sve vise slabi, a zivot postaje sve ugodniji i ljepsi. Danasnji ovjek sve vise vjeruje u svjetovne uzitke, a sve manje u zagrobni zivot i - postaje mu sve teze ostarjeti i umrijeti. Znanstvena medicina zapravo ne daje nadu, nego ovozemaljsko olaksanje. Nadu daje samo vjera. Na kraju ispada da vjera, obi na ljudska, svakodnevna vjera, ja a i nase povjerenje u znanost! Bez vjere nema ni ovostranog ni onostranog zivota! Nego samo strah od smrti i privremeni i nemirni zaborav.Glas Koncila, broj 25 (1669), 18.6.2006.http://www.glas-koncila.hr/rubrike_prigovor_znanosti.html?broj_ID=7526  Matko Marusic Editor-in-Chief Croatian Medical Journal Zagreb University School of Medicine Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Phone: + 385 1 4566 782; fax: ++ 4590 222 mmarusic@mef.hr  www.cmj.hr  Visit the web site of the Croatian Medical Journal - www.cmj.hr  for the free full text of all articles.Croatian Medical Journal is the window to the best health research in developing and newly emerging countries. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 07 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8567/1/H-Raznolikost-je-baza-napretka-u-prirodi-Intervju-Ivana-Djikica.html Raznolikost je baza napretka u prirodiIntervju Ivana Djikica   http://www.croatia.org/crown/oldphotos/DIKIC_Intervju_Playboy_2006.pdf letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7678/1/H-O-Sveucilistima-i-znanosti-u-SAD-i-njihovom-financiranju.html ÂKolokvij Instituta Rudjer Boskovic"O SVEUCILISTIMA I ZNANOSTI U SAD I NJIHOVOM FINANCIRANJU"Prof. Zlatko Bacic, Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, USASrijeda, 24. svibnja 2006, u 16.00 sati, Predavaonica III krila, Institut Rudjer Boskovic, Bijenicka c. 54, ZagrebObrazovno-znanstveni sustav SAD cine gotovo 3000 institucija, koje se jako razlikuju po svojoj prirodi, primarnoj misiji, velicini, bogatstvu, i prestizu. U vrhu piramide je oko 100 sveucilista u kojima je izrazit naglasak na znanstvenom radu, i koja dodjeljuju doktorate u sirokom spektru disciplina. Dobar dio tih sveucilista ima dominantan polozaj na svjetskoj znanstvenoj sceni. Ponudit cemo moguca objasnjenja za tu situaciju, i opisati izvore financiranja americkih sveucilista, koja su raznolika i bitno se razlikuju od onih u Europi. Osim toga, bit ce dan opcenit pregled sustava financiranja znanosti u SAD i novijih trendova u njemu. Nastojat cemo nesto detaljnije opisati ustroj National Science Foundation (NSF) i National Institute ofHealth (NIH), njihove budzete, i natjecanje za njih.Voditeljica IRB kolokvija: Prof.dr. G. Pifat-Mrzljak(u 15.30 h pocetak druzenja uz kavu i caj) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 17 May 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7681/1/H-5-Medjunarodni-kongres-o-prehospitalnim-hitnim-stanjima-od-21-23-04.html Â5. Medjunarodni kongres o prehospitalnim hitnim stanjima od 21.-23. 04 2006ÂPorec, 10.03.2006.Draga kolegice, dragi kolega!Sluzba hitne medicinske pomoci Porec Istarskih domova zdravlja organizira "5. Medjunarodni kongres o prehospitalnim hitnim stanjima" od 21.-23. 04. 2006. godine. Kongres ce se odrzati u hotelima ''Plavi'' i ''Zorna'' u Zelenoj laguni uz sudjelovanje medicinskih strucnjaka iz USA, Poljske, Austrije, Italije, Slovenije, Madjarske, BiH, SiCG i Hrvatske.Ovo je nas peti medjunarodni kongres, a vec deseti medicinski skup (dva tecaja ultrazvucne dijagnostike, Jadranska konferencija o ovisnostima, dva medjunarodna simpozija urgentne medicine i cetiri medjunarodna kongresa urgentne medicine) koji je Dom zdravlja Porec, odnosno sadasnja ispostava Porec Istarskih domova zdravlja, organizirao od 1999. godine.Skup je namijenjen lijecnicima, medicinskim sestrama - tehnicarima i svima koji se pri svojem poslu susrecu s hitnim slucajevima i spasavanjem.Nasi dosadasnji skupovi bili su izuzetno zanimljivi i doprinijeli su napretku u odnosima djelatnika hitne medicinske pomoci na terenu i specijalista u bolnicama, a unaprijedili smo i nas svakodnevni rad, od cega imaju koristi pacijenti naseg podrucja, te nasi turisti. Skup ce se odrzati pod visokim pokroviteljstvom Ministarstva zdravstva i socijalne skrbi RH i pod pokroviteljstvom poglavarstva Istarske zupanije, kao i nasi dosadasnji skupovi.Website kongresa: http://www.kompasdmc.com/hitna/ 2. obavijest kongresa:http://www.kompasdmc.com/hitna/5.Kongres_2.Obavijest_Web.pdf Za Organizacijski odbor KongresaPredsjednik Organizacijskog odbora Kongresa,Stjepan Arnold, dr. med. Adresa: Pazinska 11, HR-52440 Porec, HrvatskaE-mail: stjepan.arnold@pu.t-com.hrÂGSM: +385 / 91 / 5259722Fax: +385 / 52 / 451025 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 22 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7679/1/E-The-Croatian-Neuropsychology-Group-Call-for-members.html ÂThe Croatian Neuropsychology Group, Call for membersThe Croatian Neuropsychology Group is an organization dedicated to enhancing communication regarding both clinical practice and research in the field of neuropsychology amongst professionals of Croatian descent across the globe. Neuropsychologists, as well professionals from other fields (i.e., neuroscientists, other psychologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, etc.) with a particular interest in the area of brain-behavior relationships are encouraged to join and contribute to our dialogues.If you are interested in joining, or know someone of a similar background who might, please visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cronpsych/ or email us at: cronpsych@yahoogroups.com Thank you for your time and help in getting our message out,Elizabeth C. Kera, M.A., M.Phil.Clinical Neuropsychology InternNS/LIJ Health SystemPsychological ServicesKaufmann Building, Room 211Glen Oaks, NY 11004tel: 718-470-8395pager: 917-448-0292email: ekera@nshs.edu I created this group in the interest of joining together thoseindividuals of Croatian descent who are interested in the field ofneuropsychology. I hope that this will provide a useful resource forthose looking to not only increase communication with colleagues in thefield internationally, but also an avenue through which we can help tofurther develop and contribute to the field of neuropsychology asprofessionals in various countries.I welcome you, as well as encourage you to invite others who you thinkmight be interested in the Croatian Neuropsychology Group. Let thedialogue begin!Best wishes,Elizabeth C. Keraekera@nshs.edu  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 22 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7680/1/H-Medicina-iznutra---Nova-Knjiga-Matka-Marusica.html Matko Marusic Editor-in-Chief Croatian Medical Journal Zagreb University School of Medicine Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Phone: + 385 1 4566 782; fax: ++ 4590 222 mmarusic@mef.hr www.cmj.hr Visit the web site of the Croatian Medical Journal - www.cmj.hr for the free full text of all articles.Croatian Medical Journal is the window to the best health research in developing and newly emerging countries.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7682/1/E-Croatian-invented-worlds-first-mechanical-pencil-100-years-ago.html ÂPen comes from CroatiaÂAntiques dealer Miroslav Tischler holds an original mechanical pencil and a bust of its inventor Slavoljub Penkala in Zagreb, Croatia, Wednesday Jan. 25, 2006. A Croatian museum on Wednesday displayed the world's first mechanical pencil, marking the 100th anniversary since a Croat invented the item that later became essential in everyday life around the world. (AP Photo/Filip Horvat) Antiques dealer Miroslav Tischler holds a book on the original mechanical pencil and a bust of its inventor Slavoljub Penkala in Zagreb, Croatia, Wednesday Jan. 25, 2006. A Croatian museum on Wednesday displayed the world's first mechanical pencil, marking the 100th anniversary since a Croat invented the item that later became essential in everyday life around the world. (AP Photo/Filip Horvat) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7684/1/E-Dr-Zeljko-Reiner-Sugar-cane-extract-may-favorably-alter-lipid-level.html ÂSugar-cane extract may favorably alter lipid levelDr. Zeljko Reiner from University Hospital Center Zagreb in CroatiaÂMon Nov 28, 2005 8:33 PM GMT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a new study provide more evidence that rice policosanol -- a mixture of alcohols extracted from sugar-cane wax -- has favorable effects on serum lipids.In an 8-week study of 70 patients with very high cholesterol levels, 10 milligrams of rice policosanol daily significantly reduced total cholesterol concentrations in plasma and increased apolipoprotein A1 -- a protein portion of "good" HDL cholesterol that carries cholesterol in the blood.Dr. Zeljko Reiner from University Hospital Center Zagreb in Croatia and two associates describe their study in the journal Clinical Drug Investigation.The combination of high total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol and low "good" HDL cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, they note in the paper. Large studies have clearly shown that lowering elevated total and LDL cholesterol through diet, exercise, and cholesterol-lowering drug therapy is beneficial.However, concerns regarding side effects of chemically derived cholesterol-lowering drugs have fueled interest in naturally derived agents, such as rice policosanol. This compound has been shown to lower total and LDL cholesterol in animal models, healthy volunteers, and in those with very high cholesterol levels.The current findings from Reiner and colleagues support rice policosanol's favorable effects on serum lipids.Compared with placebo, policosanol for 8 weeks significantly lowered plasma total cholesterol from 7.37 to 6.99 mmol/L and increased Apo A1 from 1.49 to 1.58 mmol/L, Reiner and colleagues report.In this brief study, however, the researchers could not prove a significant reduction in triglycerides or LDL cholesterol or increase in HDL cholesterol with policosanol, as has been shown in other studies. It may be that the dose of policosanol used (10 milligrams daily) was too low and the duration of the study was too short, the authors offer.There were no side effects from policosanol therapy.Reiner and colleagues conclude that further study of rice policosanol as a potentially natural cholesterol-lowering aid is warranted.SOURCE: Clinical Drug Investigation, November 2005.http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-11-28T203332Z_01_FLE873937_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-SUGAR-CANE-DC.XML&archived=False  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7683/1/E-Anthony-F-Lucas-discoverer-of-the-first-major-gusher-in-Texas.html ÂAnthony F. Lucasdiscoverer of the first major gusher in TexasAnthony F. Lucas (Antun Lucic) (Split 1855, Washington 1925) discovered the first major gusher in Texas, The Lucas gusher, flowing at the rate of 80,000 to 100,000 barrels per day.It blew in January 1901, and about 50,000 people came to see it. This meant the first massive exploitation of oil and petroleum in history.A museum with 18 m high granite obelisk was built in honor to the Lucas gusher in Spindletop.ÂThere is also 1,5 m granite monument of Lucic with inscription saying that his discovery revolutionarized industry and transport,... and changed lives of people in the whole world.The American Institute for Geological and Metalurgical Investigations founded a prizeAnthony F. Lucas Gold Medal. In 2005 we commemorated hundred and fifty years since his birth, and eighty years since his death. Submitted by Darko Zubrinic, Zagrebwww.croatianhistory.net letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7685/1/H-HR-znanstvenici-u-svim-projektima-EU-od-4-Listopada-2005.html ÂHrvatski znanstvenici u svim projektima EU od 4 Listopada 2005Molim Vas proslijedite :Buduci vec godinama djelujem i koordiniram umrezavanjesvih hrvatskih znanstvenika i tehnologa diljem svijeta,ministar Primorac mi je potvrdio da vec od ponoci 4. listopadasvi hrvatski znanstvenici u domovini imaju pravu ucestvovatiu svim projektima Europske Unije.MZOS moli da obavjestim(o) sve nase aktivne znanstvenikei tehnologe uEuropi koji vec imaju svoje Euro-projekte dapronadju partnere u Hrvatskoj i pomognu im uci u razne Europrojekte, jer su i sve financije dostupne vec od 18. studenog.Zainteresirani se mogu javiti ili meni ili kolegama u MZOS-u.Unaprijed hvala na sirenju poruke.Prof. D. PavunaEPFL, Lausanne,Svicarska letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7686/1/E-British-Medical-Association-read-only-Croatian-CMJ-letter.html ÂOut of some 30, only the letter from Croatian Medical Journal was readAt commemoration of the victims of the bombing attack in London, in British Medical Association (BMA House), out of some 30, only the letter from Croatian Medical Journal was read. We sent the letter of support and condolences. Name of Croatian Medical Journal means so much, and maybe the words were so good that - it was read in public.Sincerely, yours, Matko Marusicmmarusic@mef.hr In a message dated 7/25/2005 3:56:40 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 9:03 AMTo: Matko MarusicSubject: Re: LondonDragi profesoreCestitke na CMJ-u. Zaboravila sam Vam reci - na komemoraciji zrtvamabomaskog napada koja je bila u BMA House u cetvrtak procitali su samo jednuporuku podrske, i to od Croatian Medical Journal-a.Pala sam na ledja kad su Vas spomenuli u takvoj prilici, na cas sampomislila - gdje sam to, nisam se valjda teleportirala kuci?! :)SrdacnoKristina letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7687/1/E-Mathematical-Conferences-in-2005---report-by-Darko-Zubrinic.html ÂMathematical Conferences in 2005Upon the request of Nenad Bach, I am submitting a shortreport about several international mathematicalconferences organized this year, where I had the privilege toparticipate. Of course, there were many more mathconferences in general, I will mention just a few of them.1. Functional Analysis IXhttp://www.math.hr/~congress/Dubrovnik05/ (if you are interested, see the photos)about 70 participantsThis is international congress organized biannually inCroatia, in the city of Dubrovnik, in June, for a weekor so. Its strong international reputation is clear from thenames of participants. I will try to introduce some of them, enclosing thetitles of their talks (which, very probably will not tell you anything):David Vogan (M.I.T., USA): Branching laws forrepresentations of real reductive groups.This is one of the best specialist of today in thefield of Representation theory of groups, truly agreat privilege to have such a staron the conference. He has very fruitful collaborationwith Croatian mathematicians, and it is indeed a greatthing for young scientists to haveopportunity to listen to him, and discuss with him.Prof. Vogan even organized once a walk to the hill ofSrdj above the City, with amazing viewto Dubrovnik and the surrounding islands. The fortresson the top of Srdj still has visible traces ofGreater-Serbian aggression. And Professor Vogan had amath seminar there, without blackboard or paper.Corrine Blonde (Univ. Denis Diderot - Paris 7,France): Tadi'c's philosophy and propagation oftypes. The title of her talk is indeed amazing. Namely, MarkoTadic is outstanding Croatian mathematician working atthe Mathematics Department ofthe University of Zagreb. I really did not expect thata mathematician from Paris will come to Dubrovnik todeliver a talk about Tadic's philosophy. By the way, the lecture was mathematics, notphilosophy (a famousFrench mathematician Henry Lebesgue said around 1920that "if you are working in mathematics then there isno need to do philosophy - philosophers also sharethis opinion")Guy Henniart (Universite Paris-Sud and CNRS, France): Representations of GL(2), old and new.Also one of outstanding, internationally knownmathematicians at the conference (for the first timein Croatia).Known for his work related to the famous Langlandstheory.Gilles Pisier (Univ. Pierre et Marie Curie, France &Texas A&M Univ., USA).A very well known French mathematician. Member of theeditorial board of Bulletin des SciencesMathematiques,founded in 1870, one of the most prestigious in France(two Croatian mathematicians recently published arather long paper there,dr. Vesna Zupanovic and the author of these lines,both working in Zagreb)Dragan Milicic (University of Utah, USA) Is "hardduality" really hard?Outstanding Croatian mathematician working in the USA,studied mathematics in Zagreb, where he also defendedhis PhD and started hisacademic career. Member of the Editorial board of theElectronic Research Announcements in RepresentationTheory (published by the American Math. Society),and also member of the Croatian math. journal Glasnikmatematicki.I want to add a few words aboutHarry I. Miller (University of Sarajevo), who lives inSarajevo for more than 30 years continuously,including the years of the Greater-Serbian aggression.Extremely interesting person, born in Chicago, wherehe obtained his PhD in Math, started his academicscientific career, and after having fallen in lovewith dr. Naza Tanjevic (died a few years ago), continuedhis life and scientific work in Sarajevo. Theirdaughter is also a mathematician.I remember Harry when he had a lecture (in English) atthe Math. seminar in Zagreb in 1996, when I was astudent. There was a huge audience, among them aRussianmathematician Shostak (then guest of prof. Mardesic inZagreb for one year). Shostak asked a question afterthe talk, which Harry was not able to understand.Shostak repeated his question twice, but in vain.There was a moment of very unpleasant silence, whensomebody in the audience remarked -"This was a true Soviet - American dialog". There wasa burst of laughter which completely changed theatmosphere.Goran Muic(Department of Mathematics, University of Zagreb,Zagreb) Construction of generalized Steinbergrepresentations for reductive p-adic groups.This is one of the best young Croatian mathematicianstoday, a student of professor Tadic. Professor Muic isa frequent guest with his lectures inParis, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, etc.Professor Tadic is one of the youngest members of theCroatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. During the conference we had nice excursion with aboat to the Elafit islands near the City. It was agreat day, I will not forget how professor Murali Rao(USA, Gainsville, but born in India) enjoyed theexcursion, beautiful plants, with his daughter.Professor Rao is a member of the organizing committeeof the conference besides Damir Bakic, Davor Butkovic, Hrvoje Kraljevic,Goran Peskir, Hrvoje Sikic and Marko Tadic.Unfortunately, the meal on the boat was bad, we allhad problems with stomach during the next day at theconference (Harry said - I had TRCKALICA the wholenight).The conference this time was held in the building of the University of Dubrovnik, indeed very nice, withinteresting entering hall where you can sitby a small sailing-boat. 2. Almost simultaneously, another international mathconference on Mathematical Chemistry was organized inthe Hotel Lero where we also stayed. The hotel staff was excellent,and the meals were indeed very good. Here I do notintend to describe the City itself,it is unforgettable experience for me any time I cometo visit it, seewww.croatianhistory.net/etf/et111.html 3. The main international congressional event inDubrovnik this year was probably the conference onIndustrial Electronics, held under the auspicies of IEEE, and local organizerwas Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computingfrom Zagreb (I also work in this institution). It had more than300 participants and about 60 of them from Croatia, if I remember well.For more information seehttp://www.isie2005.org/ During my stay in Dubrovnik I learned that the City ismuch older than people think. Its history goes back toAncient Times, to at least 6th to 5th centuries BC.The current literature operates that the City wasfounded in 7th century AD. I learned this from dr.Antun Nicetic, professor at the University ofDubrovnik, who recently published an important monographAntun Nicetic: Nove spoznaje o postanku Dubrovnika, onjegovu brodarstvu i plovidbi Svetoga Pavla,Sveuciliste u Dubrovniku, Dubrovnik, 2005., ISBN953-7153-02-9This fact has to enter all tourist and school books,since it is based on solid data, gathered during morethan 30 years of research.I you are interested in Croatian mathematiciansworking abroad, please, seeCroatian Mathematical Diasporawww.croatianhistory.net/mat/cromath.html 4. In May there was another very successfulconference, organized byThe Department of Mathematics, University of Zagreb:the Conference on Wavelets and Frames. This was the second conference on recent topics in thetheory of wavelets, frames and other reproducingfunction systems, which is a part of the ongoing research projectbetween Croatian and US researchers (the firstconference was held at Washington University inSt.Louis in March of 2004).http://waveframe.math.hr/ The conference was held in Terme Tuhelj (near Zagreb),in the Mihanovic palace. Indeed a nice and lovelyplace. We had several outstanding guests:Professor Guido Weiss and Mladen Victor Wickerhauser(born in Zagreb) from Washignton University in St.Louis. Professor Wickerhauser speaks Croatianvery good, and it was a pleasant surprise for me whenhe told me that he used my TeX fonts for CroatianGlagolitic to play with his veryyoung daughter.5. In Croatia we had another conference, Fourth Conference on Applied Mathematics andScientific Computing, organized by the Department ofMathematics of the University of Zagreb, seehttp://applmath05.math.hr/6. I also want to mention the ISAAC math. conferencein Catania, Sicilia, Italy. I came there upon thepersonal invitation of Professor Francesco Nicolosi,local organizer of the conference. ISAAC is forInternational Society of Analysis, its Applications,and Computation. There were four mathematicians fromZagreb (with their lectures and presentations), out of about350 participants.At the opening ceremony there was also Rector of theUniversity of Catania, city mayor, and others. Most ofthem addressed to participants in Italian, not inEnglish.It was a great surprise for me when Professor Nicolosiinvited me to be the chairman of a morning session ofthe conference. It was my third visit to Catania,three years ago I had a series of six lectures for hisstudents of doctoral study at Dipartimento diMatematica. Professor Nicolosi is also the director ofthe Department.Two mathematicians asked me to convey my greetings toprofessor Josip Pecaric: professor Burenkov, workingin Cardiff, GB (of the Russian origin), and professorSiato from Japan, who is member of editorial board ofMIA (a Cro. math. scientific journal - MathematicalInequalities and Applications), where prof. Pecaric iseditor in chief.In Catania I met an Armenian professor of mathematicsfrom Yerevan. It was a pleasant surprise for him when Itold him that the first history of Armenian people inEurope was written by a Croat:Josip Marinovic (1741 - 1801), was a Jesuit born inPerast - Kotor (in Boka kotorska, annexed toMontenegro in 1945), professor of theology in Venice.His friendship with an Armenian banker Serpos resultedin his interest for the history of Armenians. Hisassiduous research resulted in the book "Compendiostorico...della nazione armena", published in Venicein 1783. The book had a great success. Though it wassigned by Serpos, its true author was Marinovic. Itrepresents the first history of Armenians published inEurope. It is interesting that the book had beenextended and republished by Ivan Dominik Stratico,bishop on the Croatian island of Hvar. This bookincited European interest for Armenian people andtheir culture. In particular, upon the initiative ofthe Vatican, supported by Austria and Russia, in 1830the Turkish sultan admitted very old ArmenianChristian Church and allowed Armenian Archbishopric tobe founded in Constantinople. See [Gregory Peroche],p. 119.From www.croatianhistory.net/etf/lat.html#marin The white flag of Dubrovnik contains a figure of Sv.Vlaho (St. Blais, St. Blasius, Armenian martyr from3/4 centuries), patron of the City. From www.croatianhistory.net/etf/et111.html This by far is not all what is related to mathconferences where Croatian mathematicians participatedthis year. Of course, there are numerous conferences in otherfields - in natural, technical and social sciences.Also, there are many more details to be said aboutaforementioned conferences, but I hope this willsuffice.Many greetings to all readers of CROWN from Zagreb,Darko Zubrinicwww.croatianhistory.net letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7688/1/E-Engage-the-Croatian-scientific-diaspora-in-joint-projects.html ÂCroatia: World Bank Helps Increase Croatiaâs Competitiveness Through Investments July 7 2005 Press Release - World Bank The World Bank today approved a US$ 40 million loan for a Science and Technology Project for Croatia. The project will help to improve the competitiveness of Croatian industry both in domestic and foreign markets. Croatia has made significant progress in its transition towards a market economy. However, the Government of Croatia recognizes that more remains to be done to improve the competitiveness of the Croatian economy and propel it forward on a path to sustained economic growth. An increased productivity and technological base and strengthened linkages among Research and Development (R&D) Institutions, the scientific community, and industry will help enterprises compete more effectively and facilitate Croatiaâs economic integration with global markets. In addition, upgrading the technological capabilities of firms is an important step in Croatiaâs future accession to the European Union. The Project is comprised of three main components:  restructure R&D Institutions to increase the focus on applied research while maintaining scientific excellence;  upgrade technological capabilities of private enterprises by providing financing support for technology startups, technology-based companies and R&D centers;  engage the Croatian scientific Diaspora in joint projects and other initiatives, to transfer their knowledge and skills for the benefit of Croatian society, as well as to encourage the scientists to return to Croatia. "The Project will build on the great depth of scientific knowledge in Croatian Research and Development institutions and will help bring more innovation into the market. It will also help to reduce âbrain drainâ as well as use the knowledge and resources accumulated by the Croatian Diaspora to national advantage," said Anand K. Seth, World Bank Country Director for Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. The Science and Technology Project will yield a positive return for Croatiaâs economy in the long run by reducing the burden of R&D Institutions on the state budget. Local private companies will benefit from increased incomes, improved competitiveness, raised market share, and positive impact on exports. The Project was prepared in collaboration among key partners: the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport, the Brodarski Institute, the Business Innovation Center for Croatia, and the Ruđer BoÅković Institute. The project has a maturity of 15 years, including a five-year grace period. Croatia joined the World Bank in 1993. Since then, commitments to the country total approximately US$1.2 billion for 32 operations. http://www.harolddoan.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4298 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7689/1/E-India-okays-pact-with-Croatia-in-the-field-of-health-and-medicine.html   Indian Cabinet okays pact with Croatia   5/27/2005 10:10:53 AM IST The Union Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval for the signing of agreement with Croatia in the field of health and medicine for a period of five years.The agreement provides for cooperation in the areas of mother and child health; family planning; public health and nursing; communicable diseases; medicine research; medicine equipment and pharmaceutical products; hospital management; and standards and curricula of medical education.The cooperation shall be in the form of exchange of information in the field of health and Medicine; exchange of delegations of health and medical specialists; training in the mutually agreed identified areas and deputation of experts to attend international meetings held in either country.The bilateral agreement will encourage cooperation between India and Croatia in the field of health and medicine on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit. India has entered into similar bilateral agreements with Hungary, Yemen, Seychelles, Tanzania and Austria.http://www.indiainfoline.com/news/news.asp?dat=59366   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 27 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7690/1/H-Medjunarodni-kongres-o-prehospitalnim-hitnim-stanjima-Porec-21-24.html ÂISTARSKI DOMOVI ZDRAVLJA, SLUZBA HMP POREC& SESTRINSKO VIJECE ZA POSTUPKE OZIVLJAVANJA- ORGANIZIRAJU -4. MEdjUNARODNI KONGRES O PREHOSPITALNIM HITNIM STANJIMA& 3. SIMPOZIJ O URGENTNOJ MEDICINI I SPASAVANJU Hotel ÂPicalÂ, Porec, Hrvatska 21.–24. 04. 2005.http://www.kompasdmc.com/hitnaÂDraga kolegice, dragi kolega!Nastavljajuci visegodisnju tradiciju organizacije skupova hitne medicine od strane sluzbe hitne medicinske pomoci Porec Istarskih domova zdravlja, sa zadovoljstvom Vam javljam da ce se u Porecu od 21-24. travnja 2005. godine odrzati 4. Medjunarodni kongres o prehospitalnim hitnim stanjima. Istovremeno i na istom mjestu odrzat ce se i Meetings simpozij o urgentnoj medicini i spasavanju, koji organizira Sestrinsko vijece za postupke ozivljavanja. Vjerujemo da ce program ovog kombiniranog skupa biti zanimljiv za sve ucesnike, jer cemo se pretezno posvetiti prakticnom radu, radionicama sa medjunarodnim sudjelovanjem. U privitku imate zavrsnu obavijest o Kongresu u obliku .pdf dokumenta (otvara ga program Acrobat Reader).Dovidjenja u Porecu!Stjepan Arnold, dr. med.Predsjednik organizacijskog odboraHitna medicinska pomoc Porec (HMP)Emergency Medical Service (EMS)Ul. Gioseffi 2, HR-52440 Porec, croatiaTel: +385/52/431054; Fax: +385/52/451025E-mail: hitna@domzdravlja-porec.hrÂWeb: http://www.domzdravlja-porec.hr/hitna.htm Web: http://www.domzdravlja-porec.hr/jezici/english.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7691/1/E-PLIVA-a-global-company-in-more-than-30-countries.html ÂPLIVA, d.d., headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, is now a global generics and specialty company, with operations in more than 30 countriesMarch 29, 2005 09:09 AM US Eastern Timezone Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces FDA Approval for Custodiol HTK Solution for Perfusion and Flushing of Donor Pancreata, in Addition to Previously Approved Liver, Kidney and Heart Transplants FLORHAM PARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2005--Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the FDA has approved an additional indication for the use of Custodiol(R)* HTK Solution for the perfusion and flushing of donor pancreata. Custodiol HTK Solution has already been approved for use in the perfusion and flushing of other key donor organs -- livers, kidneys and hearts. Custodiol(R) now presents with indications for the vast majority of organ transplants in the United States - both abdominal and thoracic organs - an important consideration for transplant specialists. "With this new indication, Custodiol makes an excellent single product choice for the large majority of transplant procedures involving pancreata, hearts, kidneys, and livers," said Wayne Yetter, President and CEO of Odyssey. According to statistics compiled by The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, during 2004, of the 26,998 organs transplanted from all donors in the U.S., 22,141 (82%) were of kidneys and livers.(1) Another 2,013 were heart transplants, 602 were pancreas or islet cell transplants and 880 were kidney/pancreas transplants. This makes the pancreas the fourth most commonly transplanted solid organ. "This new indication for Custodiol also demonstrates the commitment that Odyssey has made to the field of transplantation. For example, PLIVA, Inc., an affiliated company, offers Cyclosporine Soft-Gel Capsules and Oral Solution. In addition, a dedicated team of Odyssey/PLIVA Transplant Specialists presents these products to the medical community," added Allan Weber, senior director, sales and marketing at Odyssey. Custodiol offers several important advantages over other available products. Custodiol requires no flushing of the organ prior to transplantation. Custodiol requires no additives, filtering, or premixing, and it can be stored over a wider range of temperatures (2 degrees C - 15 degrees C (35 degrees F - 59 degrees F)). The low viscosity of Custodiol -- similar to water -- and its clear appearance make for easier handling for both the perfusionist and the surgeon. Adding to its ease of handling, Custodiol is packaged in 4 sizes -- 500-mL bottles, 1000-mL bottles, 2000-mL bags, and 5000-mL bags -- for greater convenience. For additional information about Custodiol or any other Odyssey products, please visit our website at www.OdysseyPharm.com or call 1-877-427-9068. About Odyssey Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of PLIVA, d.d., is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative products to improve quality of life. Since 2000, Odyssey has concentrated on key therapeutic categories such as urology, respiratory and central nervous system. The company recently launched SANCTURA(TM), a prescription medicine that is indicated for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB). An estimated 33 million Americans suffer from OAB, with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency and urinary frequency. For more information, visit www.sanctura.com. About PLIVA, d.d. With more than 80 years of experience in the pharmaceuticals area, PLIVA, d.d., headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, is now a global generics and specialty company, with operations in more than 30 countries in the U.S., Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Building upon a strong R&D history, the company specializes in the discovery, development, production and distribution of generic and branded pharmaceutical products. Since its listing on the London Stock Exchange in 1996, PLIVA has established a fully internationalized business, with the majority of its revenues now realized in Western markets. (1)The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. National data. Donors recovered in the U.S. by donor type. Available at: http://www.optn.org/latestData/rptData.asp. Accessed March 31, 2003. *CUSTODIOL is a registered trademark of Dr. Franz Kohler Chemie GmbH, Alsbach-Hahnlein, Germany.http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050329005534&newsLang=en letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7692/1/H-Predvidjanja-i-futurolozi---Dr-Pavuna.html  Predvidjanja i futuroloziPREDVIDJANJADavor Pavuna, fizicar, objasnjava kakva buducnost ceka Zemlju, a kakvaHrvatskuZnanost je spremna za izvanzemaljce, dok Hrvatska zivi tranziciju iznaftne polukolonije u drustvo znalacaAutor : Tomislav OharekRazoran potres i tsunami koji je odnio najmanje 225.000 zivota,neuobicajeno tople zime zbog kojih europski medvjedi ne spavaju zimskisan, a njihovim polarnim rodjacima prijeti izumiranje, uragani koji supoharali jug SAD-a i Karibe, katastrofalne poplave u Indiji i Kini,teroristicki napadi diljem svijeta...Nekad je to mogao biti prolog znanstvenofantasticnog filma katastrofe, adanas nam je stvarnost. Vise i nema covjeka koji se ne pita sto ce bitisa Zemljom, cemu se nadati i sto planirati.A ima li na planetu ikoga osim vidovnjaka, astrologa, parapsihologa islicnih "strucnjaka" tko se usudi ponuditi imalo pouzdane odgovore.Srecom, tu su znanstvenici-futurolozi.Jedan je od rijetkih Hrvata koji povremeno djeluje i kao futurologfizicar dr. Davor Pavuna, voditelj grupe za supravodljivost i visokokorelirane sustave na Svicarskom institutu za tehnologiju u Lausanni.Vrlo se malo osoba deklarira futurolozima jer opce usvojeni trening zato kompleksno podrucje ne postoji kao za meteorologe ili biologe.Poceo sam se kao fizicar baviti vjerojatnostima dogadjaja kao prirodnimprosirenjem znanstvenih interesa, nakon sto su mi u britanskimkompanijama British Petroleum i Shell 1979. rekli da imaju strategiju na100 godina, a Japanci i Korejci i na 300 godina, te kad sam u Australiji1982. slusao ozbiljno predavanje da ce se bivsa Jugoslavija raspasti! -kazao nam je Davor Pavuna.Stizu epidemijeGodinama je proucavao sve o futurologiji u fizici, metafizici,povijesti, religiji, sociologiji, psihologiji, dramaturgiji,menadzmentu, a nakon brojnih rasprava s vodecim strucnjacima, i sam sepoceo baviti analizama i vjerojatnostima odredjenih trendova idogadjaja. Suvremeni je futurolog multidisciplinarno obrazovana osoba scvrstim znanstvenim temeljima.Fizicar Pavuna naglasava da buducnost nije nesto sto se automatskidogadja bez nas iako ce na galaktickoj razini Mjesec ostati na istojputanji, a Sunce sjati.Dogadjaju se ocite klimatske promjene. Bit ce jos toplije u nasempodrucju, a po tome se ravnaju i geostratezi.Ako nas svjetski rat, veci ratovi ili terorizam ne uniste, vecina ljudizivjet ce dulje, no to ce donijeti probleme u radnom sustavu, smirovinama i nacinom zivota. Bit ce i dosta epidemija jer se povezanostbiosfere vise ne moze izbjeci, ali i neocekivanih dogadjaja poputotkrica u biogenetskoj sferi te u razumijevanju svemira navodi Pavunaneke od prognoza koje objavljuju mnogi futurolozi.Janaf-naftañDruzba Adria u polukolonijalizmu ili suverena eko-Hrvatskaznalaca.Vise nego ikad, tvrdi dr. Pavuna, i Hrvatska treba strategiju i viziju,jer EU nece automatski poboljsati sudbinu nacije, dok sposobni kreatorii inzenjeri-poduzetnici to mogu. Nasi mladi jesu sposobni i vec djeluju,ponajprije na internetu.Kaze kako se Hrvatska nalazi pred simbolickom dvojbom koja je ujedno srznase tranzicije: Janaf - nafta - DruzbAdria u polukolonijalizmu ilisuverena ekohrvatska znalaca.Ako pobijedi naftna opcija, to vodi sve dublje u manipulaciju VelikogBrata i naftne klike - toboze radi spasa nase naftne industrije, azauzvrat dobivamo sustavno visok rizik za Jadran i ekoturizam.Svaki bi ozbiljan futurolog izbjegao rizik zagadjenja nacije i Jadrana,ma kako malen taj rizik bio. Izgubiti pritom i 100 milijuna dolaragodisnje je zanemarivo : To je bit strategije !Specijalni ratAko sada izbjegnemo tu Janafovu zamku, postupno cemo evoluirati u cistuzemlju znalaca, a Hrvatskoj skloni stranci s nama ce rado (su)zivjeti!Mi smo posebno talentirani da umrezimo po desetak superznalaca ipokrenemo npr. start-up tvrtku za lijekove za usporeno starenje, uzpomoc Pliva-instituta ili novu web-trazilicu sa strucnjacima s FER-a. Ada o Rudjeru Boskovicu i ostalim centrima za inovacije i ne govorim.Dapace, izvozit cemo i nasu kulturu !Hrvatska ce biti materijalno bogatija, standard ce rasti, ali umjesto davec oko 2015. imamo drustvo znanja, to ce se dogoditi tek oko 2030. ilikasnije. A imamo talente da to obavimo brze! napominje Pavuna. Brzinaovisi o pomoci medija, poglavito HTV-a, koji svoju tranzicijsku ulogucini se jos uopce ne shvaca.Kako kaze, udruga svjetskih strucnjaka dragovoljaca - Hrvatski svjetskisabor (www.hssd.hr ), Nacionalna sveucilisna knjiznica (www.nsk.hr) teMinistarstvo znanosti i obrazovanja (www.mzos.hr) sustavno rade na tojviziji, potpomognuti znalcima u domovini i svijetu.Eksploatatorska globalizacija mora pastiSadasnja eksploatatorska globalizacija mora pasti, smatra on, nije niglobalno, ni lokalno ekonomsko-politicki, a ni moralno prihvatljiva! Tosu shvatili i brojni mislioci i djeluju u tom specijalnom ratu, a samoslijepac ne bi uocio da je Hrvatska u svemu tome nezaobilazna.O buducnosti Zemlje Pavuna nagovijesta: Uz sve nezanemarive geostrateskepromjene, ali i tehnoloski napredak, nije zanemariva ni vjerojatnost zakontakt s izvanzemaljskom civilizacijom jer smo u ovom stoljecutehnoloski nedvojbeno sposobni primiti i prepoznati kontaktnuinformaciju.Stovise, postoje tvrdnje da su odredjene izvanzemaljske informacije vecprisutne. Taj je susret prilicno izvjestan u ovom tisucljecu, a postojei osobe te grupe koje su za to strucno spremne.Kome trebaju futuroloziFuturoloske analize dobro su iskoristili Amerikanci nakon prelaskabrojnih znanstvenika iz Europe u SAD za II. svjetskog rata. Za hladnograta razvio se vojno-tehnoloski sektor, cije su neke metode preuzele ivisokotehnoloske tvrtke.Juzna Koreja ima plan i program "Tri generacije", s kojim su od kolonijes tisucu inzenjera u dvije generacije stigli na prag kluba najbogatihindustrijskih zemalja. Futurologe mnogi koriste pod imenomsavjetnik-analiticar i(li) kreator strategije.Ozbiljnije nacije i vece kompanije imaju razradjene strategije, i to na1-3, 10, 25 te 100 godina. Kina i na dulje. Isto vrijedi za sigurnosne,obrambene, financijske i informacijske sustave. To je vrlo ozbiljanposao, niposto prognoziranje u smislu "hoce li se Stefica udati zaFranceka".Od 1990. u Hrvatskoj su futuroloske prognoze radili odabrani strucnjacikod Predsjednika, u HAZU, te neke nezavisne udruge i organizacije.Postoje analize razvoja i opcija strategije Hrvatske u nekoliko namasusjednih zemalja, u EU, SAD-u i Londonu. Neke i nisu previseprijateljske rekao nam je dr. Pavuna.Netko bi pucao na dosljakeGovoreci o predvidivom susretu s drugim civilizacijama u svemiru, dr.Pavuna upucuje i na analize ekonomista dr. Slavka Kulica(ÃÃNeoliberalizamÃÃ, www.prometej.net 2004), koji istice vazne trendovei pogreske ove civilizacije. Nasa je civilizacija otisla u sivutehnologiju i vladavinu straha umjesto da evoluira u civilizacijuharmonije, ljubavi i tzv. zelenu planetarnu tehnologiju. Nakon susreta sizvanzemaljskim civilizacijama, predvidja Pavuna, vjerojatno bi doslo ido lokalnih ratova jer bi odredjeni ljudi pokusali pucati na dosljake.No, brzo bi se situacija pretvorila u harmonican zivot. - Zivot jefundamentalna pojava, a mi se tako neodgovorno ponasamo da tesko mozemoimati goru civilizaciju kazao je dr. Pavuna.Pogled u buducnost s AlpaDiplomirao je eksperimentalnu fiziku na zagrebackom PMF-u 1977.Doktorirao je u Engleskoj 1982. na fizici kompleksnih materijala. Od1986. je voditelj grupe za supravodljivost i kompleksne sustave naSvicarskom institutu za tehnologiju u Lausanni. Od 2004. je medjunarodnikoordinator hrvatskih prirodoznanstvenika u svijetu. Ozenjen je i otacdvoje djece, a s obitelji zivi u svicarskim Alpama.Nedjeljni Vecernji list 22.01.2005 Zivothttp://www.vecernji-list.hr/home/nedjeljni/index.do   Kontakt Dr. Pavuna:davor.pavuna@urbanet.ch  Davor.Pavuna@urbanet.ch (Prof.Dr. Davor Pavuna) Mon, 24 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7693/1/E-Croatian-Medical-Journal---Class-Acts-for-2004.html ÂCroatian Medical Journal - Class Acts for 2004ÂMoney magazine (January 2005 issue) has named the ICMJE editors one of its handful of "Class Acts" for 2004Dear Friends,May I remind you the Croatian Medical Journal, represented by editor Ana Marusic, is the member of ICMJE? Please see what compliments ICMJE has received (below).Yours sincerely, Matko From: Hal Sox :HSox@mail.acponline.orgSent: 10. prosinac 2004 16:11Subject: Something nice for a changeDear ICMJE friends,First, let me append my apology to Cathy's. We should have done a better job of engaging everyone in the thinking that will hopefully lead an agreement that will respect pharma's legitimate needs and protect the public's need for access to trial information. Let's move on from here together as best we can (think of cooperating in this way without email!!). I think all of us treasure the spirit that has bound us together and led us to accomplish so much together. It has certainly been one of the most satisfying parts of my professional life.Which is a nice segue to the good news that Money magazine (January 2005 issue) has named the ICMJE editors one of its handful of "Class Acts" for 2004 "a dozen unsung people (us and eleven others) who did right by you last year." It starts with "Twelve competing editors have never agreed on anything--until now. It describes how "the editors of the world's top medical journals decided to take their red pencils and draw a line in the sand" and goes on to finish with "....the practice is sure to give the public a better window into drug safety."All best,Hal letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 14 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7694/1/H-Znanjem-i-stvaralastvom-iz-kolonijalnog-stanja-svijesti.html ÂZnanjem i stvaralastvom iz kolonijalnog stanja nacijeHrvatska je cista zemlja i, ako takva ostane, s vremenom cemo postaviti nasu mrezu instituta idobrih sveucilista te povezati i nasu strucnost po svijetu i ambiciozna fi nanciranja po pozitivnimkriterijima medjunarodne zajednice. Ali, najprije moramo promijeniti mentalitet i stav barem nasihakademskih gradjana, tzv. inteligencije koja je potpuno izgubila i nadu i viziju cak i vjeru da jesve to ovdje jos ipak moguce! A moguce jest, no moramo svi zasukati rukaveReforma obrazovanjaOsobnost i karakter, a ne staticno "tobozeznanje"Jedna od pretpostavki da bi hrvatska znanost i znanje bili konkurentni u svijetu jest i odgovarajuciobrazovni sustav. Je li postojeci hrvatski obrazovni sustav, od osnovne skole do sveucilista, dorastao tomu i sto u njemu treba mijenjati?- Treba jos malo poboljsati skolovanje do studija: posebno vise paznje treba posvetiti razvoju osobnosti i karaktera, a manje punjenju glava staticnim "tobozznanjem". Sveucilista nam nisu dovoljno dobra na svjetskoj ljestvici i Zagreb nije ni medju prvih 500 sto znaci da su tu velika poboljsanja nuzna, ali i moguca, no znamo kako se to radi, pa, ako krenemo u ovu gornju pozitivnu viziju i strategiju, moci cemo i to postupno poboljsati do, recimo, godine 2020.ÂCitav clanak procitati s Adobe Reader: Znanjem i stvaralastvom iz kolonijalnog stanja nacije letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7695/1/E-Honey-could-help-fight-cancer-University-of-Zagreb.html ÂHoney 'could help fight cancer' The humble bee may be able to help fight cancer Honey and royal jelly could become part of the arsenal of weapons against cancer, researchers say. A team from the University of Zagreb, in Croatia, found a range of honey-bee products stopped tumours growing or spreading in tests on mice. Writing in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, they say human cancer sufferers may also see benefits. But they said the products should be considered for use along with, not instead of, chemotherapy treatment. Tumour growth The researchers looked at the potential benefits of bee venom and honey. There is no doubt that honey has beneficial properties and can be very good for you Dr Emma Croager, Cancer Research UK They also examined compounds found in propolis, or bee glue, a resin-like substance which is used in the construction of honeycombs. And they also looked at royal jelly from the salivary glands of worker bees - used as food for young larvae, Tumours were generated in the mice via the injection of cancer cells, and each bee product was given to different mice before, at the same time, or afterwards.It was found that giving honey orally appeared to inhibit the development of tumours when it was given before the injection of cancer cells - although if given afterwards, it appeared to fuel the development of secondary cancers. Injecting the mice with royal jelly at the same time as they were injected with tumour cells significantly reduced the spread of the cancer. And injecting bee venom into the tumour appeared to lead to it shrinking. When propolis or caffeic acid, a chemical found in propolis, were injected, researchers saw significantly reduced subcutaneous tumour growth and an increase in the survival time of mice. The researchers say it is not yet clear how bee products affect cancer cells.But they suggest they may cause apoptosis (cell suicide) or have direct effects which are toxic to the cells, or which help the immune system fight the development of tumours. The research team, led by Dr Nada Orsolic, said their study indicated honey-bee products could be a useful tool in the control of tumour growth in research. They added: "The intake of honey-bee products may be advantageous with respect to cancer and metastasis [secondary cancers] prevention. "Further animal and clinical research utilising these substances is suggested."Dr Emma Croager, a science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "There is no doubt that honey has beneficial properties and can be very good for you. "However, this work is preliminary and careful large-scale studies in people are needed to confirm if eating honey can protect us from cancer." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4063377.stm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7696/1/H-Deklaracija-Prvog-kongresa-hrvatskih-znanstvenika.html ÂDeklaracija Prvog kongresa Hrvatskih znanstvenikaZnanstvenici okupljeni na Prvome kongresu hrvatskih znanstvenika iz domovine i inozemstva uglavnome gradu Zagrebu i u gradu Vukovaru, koji je svojim stradanjem postao simbol hrvatske borbeza slobodu, svjesni izazova današnjega trenutka kada Republika Hrvatska kao slobodna idemokratska dr ava stupa prema clanstvu u Europskoj uniji,i svjesni uloge koju u tome imaju znanost i obrazovanje,smatrajuci da se Hrvatska mo e ekonomski, kulturno i politicki razvijati uz punouvazavanje ljudskih sloboda, vladavine prava, afirmaciju znanja i obrazovanja,polazeci od odgovornosti koju znanstvenici imaju za razvoj Republike Hrvatske, mi,hrvatski znanstvenici iz domovine i inozemstva, donosimo sljedecuDeklaraciju1. Svrha je Kongresa hrvatskih znanstvenika iz domovine i inozemstva, koji je organiziraloMinistarstvo znanosti, obrazovanja i športa Republike Hrvatske, a kojemu smo se odazvali iz svihkrajeva svijeta,- da na njemu potvrdimo i posvjedocimo svoje uvjerenje da je od svih ulaganja u razvojneke zemlje, a tako i naše domovine Hrvatske, najvrednije i najisplativije ulaganje uljude, posebice mlade ljude, i to osobito ulaganje u obrazovanje i znanje,- te da pokazemo svojom prisutnošcu koliko je Hrvatska dala svijetu, obrazujuci svojeznanstvenike koji su potom stjecajem okolnosti otišli u svijet u potrazi zaprihvatljivim uvjetima rada, te da taj "odljev mozgova" koji je istovremeno jedna odnajvecih opasnosti za zemlje poput Hrvatske i jedan od najvecih darova koje nekazemlja mo e dati svijetu, pretvorimo od bolesti u lijek za domovinu, i da svojomsuradnjom, mi hrvatski znanstvenici iz svijeta i iz domovine, pomognemo da svijetHrvatskoj za taj dar uzvrati jednakim darom potpore, strucne i materijalne, u razvojuznanosti u Hrvatskoj i u cjelovitom razvoju zemlje, za koji je ulaganje u ljude i uobrazovanje najpresudniji preduvjet.2. Razvoj i bogatstvo neke zemlje temelje se na razvoju slobode, demokracije s jedne strane, agospodarstva i tehnologije s druge strane. Ni jedno od toga nije zamislivo bez znanja i znanosti.Današnji se vrtoglavi razvoj tehnologije zasniva na znanosti, a što je preduvjet uspješnoggospodarstva. Tu je uloga prirodnih, medicinskih, tehnickih i informacijskihznanosti u temelju svakoga suvremenog gospodarstva. Ali se ni bez društvenih ihumanistickih znanosti ne mo e ustrojiti suvremeno društvo, a još manje cuvati irazvijati kulturni identitet i suvremene civilizacijske i kulturne tekovine.Politicka odgovornost mora pocivati na suverenitetu naroda i gradjana, koji jeizra avaju kroz svoje ustanove politickoga sustava, i ne mo e je u demokracijizamijeniti ekspertiza znanstvenika. Volja gradjana i njihovih zastupnika trebapocivati na dobroj obaviještenosti o mogucnostima rješavanja problemasuvremenoga svijeta, a tu znanost ima ogromnu savjetodavnu ulogu. Iako je sna nopovezivanje znanosti s gospodarstvom preduvjet i gospodarskoga i znanstvenogarazvoja, znanost ne smije samo slu iti gospodarstvu, nego mora cuvati i svojuautonomiju, jer su gotovo sva velika otkrica sprva slu ila spoznaji, a tek potomnalazila svoju bogatu i korisnu primjenu.3. Svjesni toga, i svjesni razvojnih potreba Republike Hrvatske i potrebe njena brzarazvoja i dostizanja standarda razvijenoga svijeta, pozivamoinstitucije Republike Hrvatske:- Hrvatski sabor, izabran slobodnom voljom hrvatskih gradjana, dasvojim zakonima omoguci što bolju i plodniju suradnju hrvatskihznanstvenika iz svijeta i znanstvenika iz Hrvatske, kao i razvoj svakedruge korisne medjunarodne znanstvene suradnje, koju elimo poticati,- Vladu Republike Hrvatske da ukloni sve prepreke toj suradnji i dastvara što povoljnije materijalne i druge uvjete za ostvarivanjeznanstvene, a i svekolike druge suradnje domovinske i iseljeneHrvatske,- sva ministarstva da odrede osobe kojima se mogu obracati znanstveniciiz inozemstva i domovine, kao i za to kvalificirani gradjani sprijedlozima za medjunarodnu znanstvenu i srodnu suradnju, te da seotvore racunalne mre ne stranice za raspravu o takvoj suradnji;hrvatske znanstvenike u inozemstvu- da poticu i razvijaju suradnju s domovinom Hrvatskom i saznanstvenicima u njoj, da predla u zajednicke medjunarodneznanstvene i razvojne projekte, da tra e mogucnosti financijske potporeu svijetu takvim projektima, i poma u u školovanju mladihznanstvenika iz Hrvatske u svijetu,- da šire obaviještenost o Hrvatskoj u svijetu, zala u se za suradnju snjom i rade na afirmaciji njene kulture i identiteta u svijesti javnosti ikulturnih sredina u kojima ive,- da u svoje projekte ukljucuju znanstvenike u domovini, podupirustipendiranje naših mladih znanstvenika za studij u inozemstvu, dasudjeluju u domacim projektima i nastavi u Hrvatskoj kao i urecenziranju sveucilišnih programa i znanstvenih projekata i radova,- da pozivaju znanstvenike iz Hrvatske i da dolaze u Hrvatsku na poziveza strucnu, znanstvenu i obrazovnu suradnju;hrvatske znanstvenike u domovini- da predano rade na razvoju svojih znanosti i na širenju medjunarodnesuradnje s hrvatskim znanstvenicima u svijetu u sklopu svekolikemedjunarodne suradnje u znanosti koja pridonosi dosezanju najvišihsvjetskih standarda, te razvoju hrvatskoga društva i gospodarstva,- da promišljeno razvijaju, u suradnji s hrvatskim znanstvenicima uinozemstvu, strategiju afirmacije hrvatske kulture, jezika i identiteta usvijetu i obavješcivanja inozemne i svjetske javnosti o Hrvatskoj,ukljucujuci se svojim znanstvenim radom u tokove svjetske znanosti imre u medjunarodne suradnje na takav nacin koji ce njima slu iti nacast, Hrvatskoj biti na korist, a razvoju znanosti na slu bu.4. Djelovanje znanstvenika treba vrednovati prema najvišim znanstvenim kriterijima,uva avajuci specificnosti pojedinih znanstvenih podrucja, posebice nacionalnihdisciplina, kao i prema etickim nacelima. Naše djelovanje pociva na autonomijiznanstvenih organizacija i samih znanstvenika, usmjereno na afirmaciju tolerancije,nediskriminacije, razvoj ljudskih prava i sloboda te vrijednosti demokratskogpluralistickog društva.5. Razmišljamo o oblicima razvoja suradnje medju hrvatskim znanstvenicima udomovini i inozemstvu, kao što su:- potpora Nacionalnoj zakladi za znanost, visoko školstvo i tehnologijskirazvoj RH koju treba podupirati gospodarstvo, i koja, uz ostalo, trebaosigurati stipendije mladim hrvatskim znanstvenicima za studij uinozemstvu i potpomagati projekte koji se rade u suradnji s inozemnimpartnerima,- osnivanje burze medjunarodne suradnje na kojoj ce se nuditi ali i tra itiznanstvena suradnja na svim vrstama znanstvenih projekata,- organiziranje informacijske mre e o mogucnostima medjunarodnesuradnje hrvatske znanosti sa svijetom,- razvoj institucija za afirmaciju hrvatske kulture, osobito znanosti iumjetnosti u svijetu,- širenje mre e lektorata, katedara za kroatistiku, hrvatskih studija usvijetu,- razvoj strategije suradnje na afirmaciji hrvatske kulture i identiteta usvim podrucjima humanistickih i drugih odgovarajucih znanosti.Mi se obavezujemo da cemo ulagati trajne napore u takvu suradnju, razvojznanosti u Hrvatskoj i u cjelokupni razvoj moderne, demokratske, europske imedjunarodno afirmirane Hrvatske koja ce svojom kulturom, znanošcu i blagostanjemravnopravno i kreativno sudjelovati u ivotu i napretku svjetske zajednice.Prirodne znanostiProf. dr. sc. Davor Pavuna Akademik Vladimir PaarTehnicke znanostiProf. dr. sc. Ivica Crnkovic Prof. dr. sc. Darko StipanicevBiomedicina i zdravstvoProf. dr. sc. eljko Bošnjak Akademik Daniel RukavinaDruštvene znanostiProf. dr. sc. Stjepan G. Meštrovic Prof. dr. sc. Ivo JosipovicHumanisticke znanostiProf. dr. sc. Vladimir Goss Akademik Mislav Je icBiotehnicke znanostiProf. dr. sc. Stanimir Vuk-Pavlovic Akademik Slavko MaticPredsjednik Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnostiAkademik Milan MogušPredsjednica Rektorskog zboraProf. dr. sc. dr. h. c. Gordana KralikU Vukovaru, 18. studenoga 2004. godineMinistar znanosti, obrazovanjai športaDoc. dr. sc. Dragan PrimoracPotpredsjednik Vlade Republike Hrvatskei ministar zdravstva i socijalne skrbiProf. dr. sc. Andrija HebrangMolim pogledati: http://www.mzos.hr/pkhz/dokumenti/deklaracija.pdf Vas odani, Matko Marusic Editor-in-Chief Croatian Medical Journal Zagreb University School of Medicine Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Phone: + 385 1 4566 782; fax: ++ 4590 222 mmarusic@mef.hr www.cmj.hr  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7697/1/HE-Constructive-Networking-of-Croatian-Scientists.html ÂKonstruktivno udruzivanje Hrvatskih prirodoznanstvenikaConstructive Networking of Croatian Scientists (text below)U Hrvatskoj naizgled postoji sve sto nam treba za uspjeh nacije: obrazovni sustav, (visoko-)skolski programi, instituti, centri za transfer tehnologije, izvjesca privredne komore koja javljaju da su nasi inovatori vrlo uspjesni.(vidihttp://www.hgk.hr/komora/hrv/PRESS/PRIOPCENJA/arhiva/2003/11/2711-6.htm ) Medjutim, na internet stranici Centra za Transfer Tehnologije (CTT: http://www.ctt.hr/obrazovanje.asp ) vidimo realnost: '' Prema posljednjim izvjestajima Zavoda za statistiku tek nesto preko sedam posto stanovnistva ima visoku naobrazbu, visu svega oko cetiri posto, srednju naobrazbu ima oko 45 posto, a 40-ak posto stanovnistva nizu. U danasnje vrijeme to su vrlo losi pokazatelji, pogotovo gledajuçi sa stajalista razvijenih zemalja i visokih tehnologija. CTT neprekidno naglasava da Hrvatska gubi intelektualne/radne resurse i sve cesce nedostaju strucnjaci. Iz tog razloga, CTT posvecuje veliku paznju upravo obrazovanju, kao jednoj od primarnih potreba RH.''Dakle, jasno je da objektivno vrlo malen broj znanstvenika, te opcenito, visoko strucnih osoba, ne moze preko noci promjeniti sveopcu situaciju nacije, pa sam vec ranije u brojnim izvjescima napisao (http://www.hkz-kkv.ch/pavuna.php ) da smatram da je red da se u katolickoj zemlji Crkva pobrine da ipak bas nemamo gladnih, a da Vlada djeluje na poboljsanju opce socijalne situacije u zemlji.Ono sto mi znanstvenici, nasi inzenjeri-inovatori, te poduzetni tehnolozi, mozemo uciniti jest da u svjetskoj ekonomiji znanja, inicijativa i strateskih udruzivanja 21-og stoljeca pokusamo svi zajedno poboljsati barem utjecaj i uspjesnost tog visoko-obrazovanog dijela nacije. U principu, to je ono sto i MZOS i Poslovno-inovacijski centar BICRO vide u svojoj viziji ( http://www.mzos.hr/default.asp?jezik=&ru=177&sid= ).No, ravnatelj Instituta Rudjer Boskovic-a, dr. Stjepan Marcelja, biofizicar s dugogodisnjim iskustvom u svjetskim institucijama, jasno upozorava na svojoj web stranici http://www.director.irb.hr/inovacije.htm : ''Ceka nas jos mnogo posla da bismo sva vazna pravila dotjerali tako da znanost postane cvrsto integrirani dio uspjesnog nacionalnog inovacijskog sustava.''Dakle, Hrvatska ocito ima i brojne organizacijske probleme tzv. tranzicijskih zemalja, no, poput Irske ili Izraela mi takodjer imamo specificnost da velik broj nasih strucnjaka zivi i djeluje posvuda u svijetu, te svi imamo volju da pomognemo da se taj proces tranzicije ubrza.Buduci sam vec godinama redovno povezan s brojnim strucnjacima dragovoljcima ( vidi : http://www.hssd.hr/odbori/znanost.htm ) smatram da uz bolju organizaciju, te strateskim povezivanjem znalaca, uz mudru orijentaciju na mlade talente, Hrvatska bi vec u jednoj generaciji (npr. do 2025.) mogla ostvariti jacu znanstveno-tehnolosku bazu, pa nadajmo se i bar 2-3 visoko uspjesne, svjetski relevantne tvrtke, poput Nokia-e, Ikea-e ili Nestle-a (http://www.hkz-kkv.ch/pavuna.php ). Nasu buducnost cine kultura biotehnologije i ekoturizam, nova znanja u gospodarstvu te stvaranje velikih dohodaka s malo znalaca ('Microsoft' nema ni 300.000 zaposlenih) u najljepsoj i zadnjoj cistoj zemlji u Europi! Evo, na taj nacin mi u inozemstvu pojednostavljeno vidimo Hrvatsku. I naglasavam, takva ce Hrvatska i biti jer bi u suprotnome mogla nestati, izmanipulirana najgorom vrstom tzv. eurokapitalista. Uz to svakako je nuzno pojacati ulogu Splita i juzne Hrvatske, jer je jos uvijek skoro 99% znanosti koncentrirano u Zagrebu; no, naravno i ostale centre cemo podrzati.Da bismo to postigli nuzna nam je medijska pomoc hrvatske televizije da bi se u naciji sustavno pojacala svijest da i mi imamo nase vrhunske 'Janice' u znanosti i tehnologiji : postoje brojni primjeri uspjeha nasih mladih, a samopouzdanje nacije je bit nase buducnosti (http://www.fokus-tjednik.hr/vijest_arhiva.asp?vijest=1737&izdanje=78 ).Cesto mozemo koristiti uspjesne primjere iz Irske, Izraela, Svicarske ... kako se mlade ljude planski stimulira i kako im se zrelom infrastrukturom pomaze u inovaciji i integraciji u svjetski znanstveno-tehnoloski sustav (vidi npr. http://www.startupcafe.ch/ i http://cdm.epfl.ch/homepage.php ). Postoje uspjesna rijesenja kako se smanjuje odlijev mozgova, a mnogi mladi bi se lakse odluciliostati u Hrvatskoj (ili vratiti se nakon specijalizacije) ako im pomognemo u rijesavanju stambenog pitanja. Za nase dokazane vrhunske strucnjake koje zelimo vracati iz inozemstva takodjer postoje brojna rijesenja, ali je svima bitno da cijela vizija i strategija post-tranzicijskog drustva znanja bude jednom zauvijek prihvacena na najvisem nacionalnom nivou; u suprotnom, odlijev mozgova ce se nastaviti.Rijetko cemo samo 'suhim' znanjem i pokusajima iz Hrvatske uspjeti u bilo kojoj svjetski relevantnoj aktivnosti. Zato moramo napokon postaviti i nasu globalnu infrastrukturu te imati nase ljude i prijatelje u tzv. centrima moci i odlucivanja: u filmskoj industriji to je npr. Hollywood, dok u znanosti to moze biti npr. Harvard, u tehnologiji Stanford ... a u financijskoj podrsci projektima Europske Unije to je svakako Bruxelles ...Planirajmo i stvaranje nase 'krovne' tvrtke 'Croatia-Tech' koja ce nacionalne proizvode i inovacije uspjesno predstavljati u New Yorku, u Parizu ili Hong Kongu ... sve to, a i jos puno vise su vec ostvarili npr. Izraelci, a i drugi narodi, pa iskoristimo i poklonimo naciji sva ta brojna korisna iskustva jer nas ima stvarno posvuda po svijetu.Pritom cuvajmo zajednistvo jer mi znanstvenici nismo korumpirani, te imamo i razvijenu kulturu strucnog (ne)slaganja, pa pokusajmo (p)ostati nacionalni primjer. Vazno je da mudrom strategijom izbjegnemo polarizaciju izmedju 'siromasnih' domacih i 'privilegiranih' inozemnih hrvatskih strucnjaka, te u nasim buducim susretima ponudimo, te realiziramo jednu uspjesnu viziju i strategiju koju Lijepa Nasa, nakon brojnih stoljeca patnje, svakako zasluzuje.ÂDavor Pavuna, co-chairhttp://dubrovnik2004.epfl.chInstitute of Physics of Complex MatterEcole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneSwiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)EPFL SB-IPMC-LPRXBât. PH D3 304 Station 3 CH-1015 Lausanne, EPFL - SwitzerlandMobitel: +4179 2404127Voice: + 41 21 693 3301 (direct)Voice: + 41 21 693 4475 / 3374 (secretaries)Fax: + 41 21 693 4666Email: davor.pavuna@epfl.chWeb page: http://pavuna.epfl.chConstructive Networking of Croatian ScientistsDavor Pavunadavor.pavuna@epfl.ch Institute of Physics of Complex MatterSwiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)CH-1015 Lausanne, EPFL - Switzerlandhttp://pavuna.epfl.ch At a first sight Croatia has everything that the nation requires to perform successfully: a functional education system, advanced university programs, numerous institutes, centers for the technology transfers Š and even the chamber of commerce reports that Croatian inventors are very successful.(see :http://www.hgk.hr/komora/hrv/PRESS/PRIOPCENJA/arhiva/2003/11/2711-6.htm )However, the Center for the Technology Transfer (CTT: http://www.ctt.hr/obrazovanje.asp ) warns us of the daily reality: ''According to the National Bureau for Statistics only little over 7% of Croatian citizens has university education, higher education some 4%, secondary school education 45% and 40% only the basic education. In the present age these are rather discouraging facts from the point of view of highly technologically developed countries. Therefore the CTT emphasizes that Croatia looses intellectual and working resourses and often lacks experts. Hence CTT pays great attention to education of badly needed experts.''Evidently, a rather small number of scientists (few thousand at best), and other top professionals cannot overnight change the overall situation of the nation. As I wrote in several previous reports (http://www.hkz-kkv.ch/pavuna.php ) in a poor catholic nation it is the church that should help genuinely starving fraction of the population, while the government should take great care that the overall social situation gradually improves.What we scientists, our engineers-innovators, as well as enterpreneur-technologists can hope to achieve is that in the global knowledge economy, we join our forces and know-how and try to influence and improve the performance of the highest educated section of the society. In principle, that is what the science ministry MZOS and the innovation-managment center BICRO also propose ( http://www.mzos.hr/default.asp?jezik=&ru=177&sid= ).However, the director of the Institute Rudjer Boskovic, dr. Stjepan Marcelja, a biophysicist with long experience in scientific institutions worldwide, warns us at his web page ( http://www.director.irb.hr/inovacije.htm ) : ''We still have a lot of work to do until all the requirements are met and the science becomes truly an integral part of a successful national system of innovation.''Namely, Croatia still has numerous organisational problems of the transitional society, yet like Ireland or Israel we also have numerous successful professionals who live and work abroad and who are willing to help speed up this (painfull) transitional process. Over the years I was in touch with numerous such Croatian professionals worldwide ( see : http://www.hssd.hr/odbori/znanost.htm). Therefore, I firmly believe that with better organisation, and strategic networking of all these professionals worldwide (and with a clear orientation toward young talents) Croatia can already within one generation (by about 2025.) realize much stronger scientific-technological base and even generate 2-3 very successful, globally relevant, companies like Nokia, Ikea or Nestle (http://www.hkz-kkv.ch/pavuna.php). Our future belongs to the wise implementation of biotechnology and ecotourism, and in creating few large businesses with relatively few knowledge workers ('Microsoft' has less than 300.000 employees) in the most beautiful and the last clean European country. This is our simplified view of Croatia from abroad. Still, I emphasize that this better be the future of Croatia; otherwise our motherland may even dissapear manipulated by some aggressive eurocapitalists. Moreover, in science and technology we also have to strengthen the role of Split and southern Croatia, as nearly 99% of Croatian science is still concentrated in Zagreb; evidently other centers should also be wisely supported.In order to achieve all the above we require help from the media, especially HTV : we have to systematically increase the awareness that we also have our 'Janicas' in science and technology . There are numerous examples of successes of our young people, and the confidence of the nation is vital for our successful future (see : http://www.fokus-tjednik.hr/vijest_arhiva.asp?vijest=1737&izdanje=78 ).Often we can use successful examples from Ireland, Israel or Switzerland on how does one stimulate the young people and how the optimal infrastructure helps them innovate and get fast integrated into the overall scientific and technological system (see for example : http://www.startupcafe.ch/ & http://cdm.epfl.ch/homepage.php ). There exist successful solutions on how to diminish the brain drain ; many young people would stay in Croatia (or would return after the specialization abroad) if we help them with their lodging and reintegration. As to our renowned top professionals (that we would like to bring back to Croatia) there exist also numerous viable solutions, yet the first prerequisite for all of them is that the whole strategy of the post-transitional knowledge society becomes finally accepted at the highest national level; otherwise, brain drain and the general apathy will continue.Rarely can we succeed in any globally relevant activity simply by using 'dry' knowledge only. That's why we have to create our global infrastructure and have our own people and friends in all key centers of power and decision making. In the movie industry it's Hollywood, yet in science it could be Harvard, for technology Stanford Š and for the funding schemes of the European Union it's Bruxelles.Let's also plan the creation of our global company 'Croatia-Tech' that will systematically represent and sell our products in New York, Paris or Hong Kong Š all that and much more has been realized by Israelis, and several other small nations, so we that's why we should also integrate our know-how and optimize our network with our professionals worldwide.While implementing the whole vision we should treasure our unity ; at the end of the day we, scientists, are not corrupted, and we have a rather sophisticated and well established culture of (dis)agreements. So, let's try to remain / become an example to the whole nation. It is also important to avoid the polarisation between our 'poor' scientists within Croatia proper and the 'priviledged' Croatian experts who come from abroad. Let's join forces in our future meetings and constructive actions to realize this whole postive vision that our motherland Croatia, after numerous century of (colonial) suffering, clearly deserves.http://www.hssd.hr/odbori/znanost.htm http://www.hkz-kkv.ch/pavuna.phpÂhttp://www.mzos.hr/pkhzÂBest for now,Tvoj, Davordavor.pavuna@epfl.ch  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7698/1/E-Prvi-kongres-hrvatskih-znanstvenika-iz-domovine-i-inozemstva.html ÂPostovani,prema naputku ministra Primorca saljem Vam posljednju verziju programa Prvog kongresa hrvatskih znanstvenika iz domovine i inozemstva da je detaljno pregledate. Molim da svoje ispravke i prijedloge posaljete najkasnije do ponedjeljka, 8. studenoga 2004.Voditeljima sekcija: molim da obratite pozornost na Vase titule i institucije kako bismo pravovremeno ispravili ukoliko je nesto pogresno napisano!Srdacan pozdrav,Vedrana Skaro, savjetnica u kabinetuMinistarstvo znanosti, obrazovanja i sportaTrg hrvatskih velikana 610000 Zagrebtel. 01 4569 001fax 01 4617 962; 01 4594 213www.mzos.hr ÂÂZagreb - Vukovar, 15. -19. studenoga 2004.ÂPROGRAMÂPonedjeljak, 15. studenoga 2004.Â- Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica, aula (Hrvatske bratske zajednice 4)18.00 Registracija sudionika19.00 Domjenak dobrodošlice Noćenje u hotelu ''Panorama''ÂUtorak, 16. studenoga 2004. - Hotel Opera, kristalna dvorana09.00 - 10.00 Otvaranje Kongresa i pozdravne riječi:- Predsjednik Hrvatskog sabora Vladimir Šeks- Predsjednik Vlade Republike Hrvatske dr. sc. Ivo Sanader- Potpredsjednik ÂVlade Republike Hrvatske Âi Ministar zdravstva i socijalne skrbi prof. dr. sc. Andrija Hebrang- Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske Stjepan Mesić 10.00 - 10.30  Ministar znanosti, obrazovanja i športa doc. dr. sc. Dragan Primorac:ÂStrategija razvoja znanosti u Hrvatskoj10.30 - 11.00 Stanka za kavuRegistracija znanstvenih novaka od 8.00 do 11.00 sati u prostorijama Akademije tehničkih znanosti Hrvatske (HATZ), Kačićeva 28.Paralelno s plenarnim predavanjima, u dvoranama Maksimir, Zrinjevac i Tuškanac u hotelu ''Opera'', za svaku sekciju znanstveni novaci imati će prezentaciju postera s međunarodnih skupova.ÂPlenarne sjednice 11.00 - 12.30 Sekcija Prirodne znanosti, moderatori: prof. dr. sc. Radovan Fuchs i voditelji sekcijeÂ- Prof. dr. sc. Davor Pavuna, TheSwiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, SwitzerlandÂ- Akademik Vladimir Paar, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Prirodoslovno matematički fakultet, HrvatskaÂ- rasprava13.00 - 14.00 Objed u hotelu ''Opera'' 14.00 - 15.30 Sekcija Tehničke znanosti, moderatori: prof. dr. sc. Juraj Božičević i voditelji sekcijeÂ- Prof. dr. sc. Ivica Crnković, Department of Computer and Engineering Maraldalen University, SwedenÂ- Prof. dr. sc. Darko Stipaničev, Fakultet elektrotehnike, strojarstva i brodogradnje Sveučilišta u Splitu, HrvatskaÂ- rasprava15.30 - 16.00 Stanka16.00 - 17.30 Sekcija Biomedicina i zdravstvo, moderatori: prof. dr. sc. Antun Tucak i voditelji sekcijeÂ-Prof. dr. sc. Željko Bošnjak, Medical College of Wisconsin, Departments of Anesthesiology and Physiology, USAÂ- Akademik Daniel Rukavina, Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci, HrvatskaÂ- rasprava17.30 - 18.00 Stanka18.00 - 19.30  Sekcija Društvene znanosti, moderatori: prof. dr. sc. Slobodan Uzelac i voditelji sekcije- Prof. dr. sc. Stjepan G. Meštrović,University of Texas, Department of Sociology, USA- Prof. dr. sc. Ivo Josipović, Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska- rasprava19.30 - 20.30 Gospodarski forum, moderatori: prof. dr. sc. Pavo Barišić i voditelji foruma- Ministar gospodarstva, rada i poduzetništva Branko Vukelić- Predsjednik Hrvatske gospodarske komore Nadan Vidošević- Predstavnici gospodarskog života u Hrvatskoj- raspravaÂ21.00 Večera u hotelu ''Sheraton''ÂNoćenje u hotelu ''Panorama''ÂSrijeda, 17. studenoga 2004. - hotel Opera i Gradski muzej Vukovar08.30 - 10.00  Sekcija Humanističke znanosti, moderatori: prof. dr. sc. Mirjana Polić-Bobić i voditelji sekcije- Akademik Mislav Ježić, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska- Prof. dr. Vladimir Goss, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci, Hrvatska10.00 - 10.30 Stanka10.30 - 12.00 Sekcija Biotehničke znanosti, moderatori: prof. dr. sc. Matko Marušić i voditelji sekcije- Prof. dr. sc. Gordana Kralik, Poljoprivredni fakultet Sveučilišta Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku, Hrvatska- Prof. dr. sc. Stanimir Vuk-Pavlović, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USAÂParalelno s plenarnim predavanjima, u dvoranama Maksimir, Zrinjevac i Tuškanac u hotelu ''Opera'', za svaku sekciju znanstveni novaci imati će prezentaciju postera s međunarodnih skupova.ÂTiskovna konferencija biti će održana u 12.00 sati u hotelu ''Opera''.Â12.00 - 13.00 Objed u hotelu ''Opera''13.00 - 17.00 Organizirani odlazak autobusima u Vukovar17.00 - 20.00 Rad po sekcijama i kreiranje zaključaka Kongresa20.00 Večera u hotelu ''Osijek'' u OsijekuÂNoćenje u hotelu ''Osijek'' u OsijekuČetvrtak, 18. studenoga 2004.09.00 - 12.00 Svečani mimohod i obilazak Vukovara13.00 - 15.00 Objed u hotelu ''Kunjevci'' u Vinkovcima15.00 - 19.00 Izvješće voditelja sekcija i rasprava 19.00 - 20.00 Donošenje i proglašenje deklaracije, uz nazočnost novinara20.00 Â ÂSvečana večera u hotelu ''Kunjevci'' u VinkovcimaNoćenje u hotelu ''Osijek'' u OsijekuPetak, 19. studenoga 2004.9.00 Odlazak sudionika Kongresa iz Osijeka (dolazak u Zagreb predviđen je u 13.00)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7699/1/EF-Orchids-in-Croatia-Genus-Ophrys.html ÂOrchids in Croatia (Genus Ophrys) ÂOPHRYS OF CROATIAOPHRYS DE CROATIEDue to war action, it was for years impossible to travel in Croatia and other countries of the Balkan peninsula. Consequently orchids of these countries have been far less well studied than those of Italy or Greece for example. The last paper published about orchids of former Yugoslavia is GÃlz,P. & Reinhard,H.R. 1986.- Orchideen in Jugoslawien. Mitt. Bl. Arbeitskr. Heim. Orch. Baden-WÃrtt.18 (4): 689-827.But things happened to change. It is now perfectly possible to have some orchids hollidays on the wonderful Dalmatian coast, and our knowledge of Dalmatian orchids is quickly improving.Just to make things more easy, I shall get all slides of Croatian Ophrys together on this special page, but you may find all those which already received a name in the group they belong to.A cause des guerres dans les Balkans, il n'a plus Ãtà possible, pendant de nombreuses annÃes, de voyager dans ces rÃgions. La connaissance des orchidÃes qui y vivent est restÃe trÃs infÃrieure à ce qu'elle est pour des pays comme l'Italie et la GrÃce par exemple. Le dernier article consacrà aux orchidÃes de Yougoslavie est GÃlz,P. & Reinhard,H.R. 1986.- Orchideen in Jugoslawien. Mitt. Bl. Arbeitskr. Heim. Orch. Baden-WÃrtt.18 (4): 689-827.Mais les choses ont changÃ. Il est maintenant tout à fait possible de visiter la merveilleuse cÃte dalmate dans les meilleures conditions qui soient, et notre connaissance des orchidÃes de Dalmatie progresse rapidement. Pour de simples raisons de facilità j'ai dÃcidà de rassembler sur cette page spÃciale toutes les diapositives d'Ophrys croates que je mettrai sur le site. Toutes les espÃces qui ont un nom se retrouvent aussi dans leur groupes respectifs, tandis que celles qui ne sont pas encore nommÃes ne seront momentanÃment prÃsentÃes qu'ici.  A3-8. O. leucadica Renz (pro hybr.) 1928 This species, with medium sized flowers is quite widespread in Greece and the Aegean bassin. It is not at all rare from the Ionian islands in the West to south-western Anatolia. Slides 3 to 8 show plants growing on the island of Hvar, off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. Hvar appears to be the only place where grows a O. fusca s.l. in the South of Croatia. Although these plants show some differences from those growing on the Greek island of Lefkada, it is more wise, for the time being, not to split them. Among these differences, plants from Hvar hold their lips more horizontal than does O. leucadica. Their lips have the same mean length but are broader, the lip pilosity is more well-ordered and the groove on the lip is less important. Cette espÃce, aux fleurs de taille moyenne, est assez abondante en GrÃce et dans le bassin ÃgÃen. Elle pousse des Ãles ioniennes à l'Anatolie occidentale. Les diapositives 3 à 8 montrent des plantes de l'Ãle de Hvar, au large de la cÃte dalmate, en Croatie. Hvar semble Ãtre la seule place dans le Sud de la Croatie oà pousse un O. fusca s.l. Bien que ces plantes montrent quelques diffÃrences par rapport aux O. leucadica de Leucade, en particulier le port des fleurs plus horizontal, le labelle de mÃme longueur moyenne mais plus large, la pilosità plus ordonnÃe et le sillon bisecteur moins important, il semble, dans l'Ãtat actuel de nos connaissances, qu'il vaille mieux les rattacher à O. leucadica que d'en faire une espÃce indÃpendante. O. leucadica 3 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 O. leucadica 4 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 O. leucadica 5 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 O. leucadica 6 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 O. leucadica 7 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 O. leucadica 8 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  A9-2. O. sicula Tineo 1846 This is the plant with small flowers which name was, for a very long time, O. lutea ssp. minor. Its labellum has a length comprised between 8 and 13 mm; it is usually not geniculated at its base, and often hold horizontal or even directed upward. The plant, originally described from Sicily, is quite common in the central and eastern mediterranean bassin. Slides 8 - 13 are from the island of Hvar, off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. The species is said to be very common over there, but was not in 2003, only one small colony having been spotted. These plants are quite variable, some of them having a strongly geniculated lip (slide 9) and look more like O. corsica (A9-5). Il s'agit de la plante à petites fleurs, longtemps connue sous le nom d'O. lutea ssp. minor. La longueur du labelle est comprise entre 8 et 13 mm. Il n'est pas genouillà à la base et est souvent tenu horizontalement, voire dirigà vers le haut. Originellement dÃcrite de Sicile, l'espÃce n'est pas rare dans le centre et l'est du bassin mÃditerranÃen. Les diapositives 8 à 13 ont Ãtà faites dans l'Ãle de Hvar, au large de la cÃte dalmate, en Croatie. L'espÃce y est, paraÃt-il fort commune, mais elle ne l'Ãtait pas en 2003, une seule petite colonie ayant Ãtà trouvÃe. Les plantes Ãtaient fort variables, certaines ayant mÃme un labelle fort genouillà (dia 9) et faisaient davantage penser à O. corsica (A9-5). O. sicula 8 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 23-04-2003 O. sicula 9 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 23-04-2003 O. sicula 10 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 23-04-2003 O. sicula 11 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 23-04-2003 O. sicula 12 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 23-04-2003 O. sicula 13 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 23-04-2003 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  B6-11. O. tetraloniae W.Teschner 1987 This very nice Ophrys, with very small flowers, is endemic to Istria, Slovenia and Croatia. Cette jolie espÃce à trÃs petites fleurs est endÃmique d'Istrie en SlovÃnie et en Croatie. Bibliography : Biel,B. 2001.- Zwei Exkursionen des AHO Unterfranken zur Halbinsel Istrien (Kroatien). Ber. Arbeitskr. Heim. Orch. 18(1): 133-161. Teschner,W. 1987.- Ophrys tetraloniae spec. nov. - eine spÃtblÃhende Verwandte der Hummel-Ragwurz in Istrien. Die Orchidee 38(5): 220-224. O. tetraloniae 1 Croatia, Dalmatia Istria 07-06-2002 O. tetraloniae 2 Croatia, Dalmatia Istria 07-06-2002 O. tetraloniae 3 Croatia, Dalmatia Istria 07-06-2002 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  B8-2. O. cornuta Steven in M.-Bieb. 1808 This is the Ophrys with small flowers and very long pointed hooks on the labellum. It's a common species in Greece and it was called O. oestrifera "with small flowers" by the German school of orchidology. As it had no name, Prof. Paulus (Vienna, Austria) has just given it the name of O. cornutula. Anyway, P. Delforge has shown that O. cornuta was the correct name for this taxon. Slides 5 to 9 show plants from the island of Hvar, off the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. These plants which are exactly the same as those growing in monte Gargano (Apulia, Italy), are perhaps somewhat different from Greek plants with very small flowers. The name usually used for them is O. oestrifera auct. but, due to the great confusion prevailing in this group, I prefer to follow P. Delforge, including them in O. cornuta. Il s'agit de l'espÃce à petites fleurs, aux labelles munis de lobes latÃraux longuement acuminÃs. Cette espÃce, assez commune en GrÃce, Ãtait appelÃe O. oestrifera "à petites fleurs" par l'Ãcole allemande d'orchidologie. Cette absence de nom vient d'amener le Prof. Paulus (Vienne, Autriche) à l'appeler O. cornutula, bien que P. Delforge ait montrà que le nom correct de ce taxon est O. cornuta. Les diapositives 5 à 9 montrent des fleurs photographiÃes dans l'Ãle de Hvar, au large de la cÃte dalmate, en Croatie, identiques à celles des plantes qui poussent au mont Gargano, dans les Pouilles, en Italie. Elles sont par contre peut-Ãtre un peu diffÃrentes des trÃs petites fleurs des O. cornuta grecs. Mais à cause de la grande confusion qui rÃgne dans ce groupe, je prÃfÃre suivre P. Delforge et les considÃrer comme des O. cornuta. Le nom qui leur est en gÃnÃral attribuà est O. oestrifera auct. Bibliography: Delforge,P., 1995.- Les orchidÃes des Ãles de Paros et Antiparos (Cyclades, GrÃce) - Observations, cartographie et description d'Ophrys parosica , une nouvelle espÃce du sous-groupe d'Ophrys fusca. Natural. belges (Orchid.8)76: 144-221. O. cornuta 5 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 O. cornuta 6 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 O. cornuta 7 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 O. cornuta 8 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 O. cornuta 9 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  B13-**. O. species from Croatia nÂ2 This species belongs to the O. exaltata group (B13), and is a close relative of the Italian O. classica. It is of common occurence in Dalmatia, on the continent and the various islands. It is quite an early flowering species, fading already by mid-April. The flowers are quite variable. Sepals and petals are green and there is sometimes a yellow border on the lip which can show strong gibbosities. Cette espÃce appartient au groupe d'O. exaltata (B13) et est voisine de O. classica, Ophrys italien. Elle est assez commune en Dalmatie, que ce soit sur le continent ou dans les Ãles. Elle y fleurit tÃt, sa floraison s'achevant dÃjà à la mi-avril. Les fleurs sont assez variables, les sÃpales et les pÃtales sont verts, le labelle prÃsente parfois un bord jaune ou (et) de fortes gibbositÃs. L'espÃce n'a pas encore reÃu de nom. Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 1 Croatia, Dalmatia Blace 18-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 2 Croatia, Dalmatia Blace 18-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 3 Croatia, Dalmatia Blace 18-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 4 Croatia, Dalmatia Blace 18-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 5 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 6 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 7 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ2, 8 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 20-04-2003 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  B13-ÂÂ. O. species from Croatia nÂ1 This species with very small flowers, beginning to flower around mid-April, is for sure a close relative of O. tommasinii, if not O. tommasinii itself. The problem arises from the fact that it appears that three different species, all with small flowers, flower in succession. And as nobody knows to which one actually belongs O. tommasinii, it's impossible to give that name to any of the three before checking the type specimen of O. tommasinii, which will shortly be done. So for the time being, our charming little plant will remain unnamed. Cette plante a trÃs petites fleurs, fleurissant à partir de la mi-avril, est certainement voisine d'O. tommasinii, si elle n'est pas O. tommasinii lui-mÃme. Le problÃme provient de l'existence de trois espÃces diffÃrentes, à petites fleurs, dont les floraisons se succÃdent. Et personne ne sait à laquelle des trois appartenait le type d'O. tommasinii. Il n'est dÃs lors pas possible d'utiliser pour le moment le nom d'O. tommasinii tant que l'on n'aura pas vÃrifià à laquelle des trois espÃces appartient le type d'O. tommasinii, vÃrification qui est en cours. Notre ravissant petit Ophrys restera donc sans nom pour le moment. Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 1 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 2 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 3 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 4 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 5 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 6 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 7 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 Ophrys sp. from Croatia nÂ1, 8 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  B16-8. O. incubacea Bianca 1842 This species is still very often called O. atrata which is a junior synonym. Slides 8 to 11 are made in Croatia, on the Dalmatian coast, close to Primosten, where O. incubacea is of common occurence. Cette espÃce est encore souvent appelÃe O. atrata. Mais ce nom, donnà illÃgitimement par Lindley, est un synonyme postÃrieur. Les diapositives 8 à 11 sont faites en Croatie, prÃs de Primosten sur la cÃte dalmate, oà O. incubacea est trÃs commun. O. incubacea 8 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 24-04-2003 O. incubacea 9 With pink petals Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 24-04-2003 O. incubacea 10 With pink sepals and petals Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 17-04-2003 O. incubacea 11 With pink sepals and petals Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 24-04-2003 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  B18-1. O. bertolonii Moretti 1823 This Italian species, also present in the Balkans as far south as the Greek island of Corfu, is easily identified by its stigmatic cavity completely open on its sides. Cette espÃce italienne, qui s'Ãtend vers le sud jusqu'à Corfou, est caractÃrisÃe par sa cavità stigmatique dÃpourvue de parois latÃrales, ce qui permet une identification facile. O. bertolonii 4 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 O. bertolonii 5 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 O. bertolonii 6 Croatia, Dalmatia Island of Hvar 22-04-2003 O. bertolonii 7 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 24-04-2003 O. bertolonii 8 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 24-04-2003 O. bertolonii 9 Croatia, Dalmatia Primosten 24-04-2003 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this page  B18-10. O. flavicans Visiani 1842 This remarquable Ophrys is probably of hybridogene origin between O. bertolonii and another Ophrys close to O. tommasinii. It is sympatric with O. bertolonii, but flowers much more early, being completely faded when O. bertolonii opens its first flowers. It's a narrow endemic of the middle Croatian coast. Cet Ophrys remarquable est probablement d'origine hybridogÃne entre O. bertolonii et un Ophrys voisin d'O. tommasinii. Il cohabite avec O. bertolonii sur certains sites, mais fleurit bien plus tÃt, Ãtant totalement dÃfleuri quand O. bertolonii ouvre ses premiÃres fleurs. C'est un endÃmique Ãtroit du centre de la cÃte dalmate. O. flavicans 1 Croatia, Dalmatia Trogir 23-04-2003 O. flavicans 2 Croatia, Dalmatia Trogir 23-04-2003 O. flavicans 3 Croatia, Dalmatia Trogir 23-04-2003 O. flavicans 4 Croatia, Dalmatia Trogir 23-04-2003 O. flavicans 5 Slide Hans Erich Salkowski Vallendar am Rhein, Germany Croatia, Rogoznica 30-03-2001 O. flavicans 6 Slide Hans Erich Salkowski Vallendar am Rhein, Germany Croatia, Rogoznica 30-03-2001 O. flavicans 7 Slide Hans Erich Salkowski Vallendar am Rhein, Germany Croatia, Rogoznica 30-03-2001 O. flavicans 8 Slide Hans Erich Salkowski Vallendar am Rhein, Germany Croatia, Rogoznica 30-03-2001 selecting a link will display details such as photographsuse the Go Back option of your browser to come back to this pagehttp://www.ibelgique.ifrance.com/ophrys/index.htmÂÂOphrysThe genus Ophrys is a group of about 142 species of terrestrial or ground orchids from central to south Europe, north Africa, Asia Minor, up to the Caucasus Mountains. They are referred to as the 'Bee orchids' because of their flowers supposed resemblance (some species) to the furry bodied Bumble Bee and other insects.http://www.fact-index.com/o/op/ophrys.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7700/1/E-Croatia-joins-PETTEP-Project.html ÂCroatia joins PETTEP ProjectOctober 13, 2004 - Croatia joins PETTEP Project |News|Hina|ZAGREB, Oct 13 (Hina) - The State Secretary at the Office for e - Croatia, Miroslav Kovacic, on Wednesday reported that Croatia had joined a project called PETTEP (Privacy Enhancing Technology Testing and Evaluation Project). The project is being conducted by a world leading expert in data protection, Ann Cavoukian, who is the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, as well as by other experts from Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy.Croatia joined the project thanks to efforts of the central state office for e-Croatia and its cooperation with the Economy and Labour Ministry as well as with the Finance Agencycalled FINA, Kovacic said.branko.sarcanin@cyberun.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7701/1/H-Dr-Pavuna-predsjednik-Odbora-za-Znanost-svih-Hrvata.html  Dr. Pavuna, predsjednik Odbora za Znanost svih HrvataU Zagrebu, prosli petak na sastanku u Nacionalnoj Sveucilisnoj Knjiznici, uz prisustvo nekoliko predstavnika Vlade (raznih ministarstava), te osobno ministra Primorca, sluzbeno osnovan je Prvi (sveplanetarni) Odbor za Znanost i Tehnologiju Hrvatskog Svjetskog Sabora Dragovoljaca (http://www.hssd.hr/). Inace, ovo po prvi put da smo povezali i Hrvatski Zbor (gdje dr. Pavuna vodi sekciju za znanost), i Hrvatski Svjetski Sabor i AMAC i hrvatsku Vladu (MZOS) i svi se (ipak) slazemo ...U svom kratkom izlaganju, te u kracem interview-u HTV-u, jednoglasno izabraniPredsjednik Odbora za Znanost i Tehnologiju HSSD-a (http://www.hssd.hr/ ),fizicar Dr. Davor Pavuna ( http://ipmc.epfl.ch/page31440.html  ) je naglasio:i) ZAJEDNISTVO svih nasih strucnjaka u inozemstvu i domovini je nuzno zaozbiljnu strategiju i za boljitak Hrvatske - svu globalnu strucnost uspjesno ujedinjuju zemlje poput Izraela, Svicarske, Irske ... pa je red da i Hrvatska to napokon ostvari.Svima su nam cilj nasi MLADI koje moramo osposobiti i zajedno strucno pripremiti za brojne izazove ovog stoljeca koji u globalizaciji nisu ni mali ni trivijalni.ii) Tijekom zadnjih 14 godina nekoliko je dragovoljaca pokusalo ujediniti nase brojne znanstvenike i tehnologe po svijetu (medju inima, akademik Slaven Barisic, prof. Greta Pifat-Mrzljak ...) no sad je cini se osvanuo pravi trenutak jer postoji svijest o potrebi ujedinjenja nasih znanja kao i sustavnog lobby-ranja po svjetskim centrima moci jer 'staticna' strucnost i 'izolirane' inovacije nisu dovoljne u globalnoj konkurenciji.Ono sto je povijesno novo u ovom danasnjem dogadjaju jest da po prvi put inozemna Hrvatska (koju, medju inima, predstavlja dr. Pavuna) i domace institucije (predstavnici nekoliko Ministarstava) javno i jasno prihvacaju i uvode kriterije POZITIVNOG odabira svih kadrova, te provjerene strucne kriterije koji su opce prihvaceni u svjetskoj znanosti.iii) Hrvatska Televizija je jako vazna u ostvarivanju zajednistva i podizanju svijesti o radjanju kulture ZNANJA i STVARALASTVA. Naime, bez REDOVNIH emisija u kojima ce nasi strucnjaci javno govoriti i svjedociti o tome KAKO se znanje moze pretvoriti i u novac (dapace cak i velike sume na svjetskom planu), nacija ce ostati uspavana nerealiziranih potencijala u podanickoj svijesti sluzbe stranim centrima moci i utjecaja.Jedan od nasih ciljeva jest stvaranje tvrtke Croatia-Tech koja ce po svijetu propagirati hrvatske inovacije i proizvode te strucno lobby-rati, ali i povratno infrastrukturalno pomoci mladima da nauce KAKO se prodire u svijet s profitabilnim idejama i projektima.Buduci da postoji optimalna sinergija s MZOS-om, te Ministar osobno, kao i brojna druga Ministarstva podrzavaju cijelu viziju i akciju ujedinjavanja strucnosti nasih znanstvenika i tehnologa, novo-izabrani Odbor ce pripremiti Prvi Kongres Hrvatskih Znanstvenika u studenom (http://www.mzos.hr/pkhz/), te sustavno pripremiti cijelu strategiju rada i suradnje s brojnim mladima koji jedva cekaju da oslobode svu kreativnost nacije.Naime, svi se slazemo da imamo i nase zlatne 'Janice' i u znanosti i tehnologiji !  Davor.Pavuna@urbanet.ch (Prof.Dr. Davor Pavuna) Wed, 06 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7702/1/E-First-Congress-of-Croatian-Scientists.html ÂThe First Congress of Croatian ScientistsFriends,The First Congress of Croatian Scientists will take place in Zagreb and Vukovar from the 15th to the 19th of November, 2004. The Congress is organized by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. The organizers tell us that, the main goal of the Congress is to create an opportunity for the scientist of Croatian heritage who live and work throughout the world to meet with their colleagues in the homeland, so that they can use the occasion to give guidelines to scientific and economic development in Croatia.I have been invited to participate in the Social Sciences Section of the Congress, but I will not be able to do so. The Congress is taking place an entire week, Thanksgiving is a week after, and I will be in Boston for the annual Slavic Congress at the end of November, thus it is impossible to leave the classroom for so many days. However, I am planning to send in writing a few of my thoughts, observations, and suggestion to the Congress. Before I do so, I thought it would be good to hear from all of you (outside the homeland) who have experiences (positive or negative or) or suggestions that might be relevant to the goals of the Congress.Please be to the point and respond by September 30, 2004.Regards to all.Ante Cuvalo19121 Wildwood Ave.Lansing, IL 60438 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7703/1/E-Eureka--For-women-in-life-science.html ÂEureka! : For women in life science Croatian molecular biology Updated 08:56pm (Mla time) Sept 10, 2004 By Queena Lee-ChuaEditor's Note: Published on page B10 of the September 11, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer SCIENCE cannot exist in a vacuum. In today's world, where research cuts across nations, gender and disciplines, active collaboration among the academe, business and government is essential.For the past six years, the cosmetics company L'Oreal has tied up with Unesco for the "For Women in Science" project to recognize the work of almost 100 outstanding women scientists from 45 countries to date, support their research, and raise their profile globally.Last March, the latest batch of Award Laureates, one from each continent, were honored in Paris, each receiving $100,000. They come from cutting-edge fields in the life sciences, such as T-cell research, agricultural productivity, neuroscience, genetics and parasitic disease.Jennifer Thomson (South Africa) works on transgenic plants resistant to viral infections and drought. Nancy Ip (China) studies the synapses and processes of the nervous system. Christine Petit (France) researches on genetic defects in deafness and other sensory disorders. Lucia Mendonca Previato (Brazil) works to treat and prevent Chagas disease. Philippa Marrack (USA) delves into immunity and super-antigens.They were chosen by an international jury of 15 eminent members of the scientific community, led by Christian de Duve, Nobel Prize in Medicine awardee and founding president of the awards.FellowshipsAside from the Laureates, 15 promising young women (at most 35 years old), three from each continent, were given grants of $20,000 each to support high-level research projects to be conducted outside their country of origin. They were chosen by the Fellowship Selection Committee in Paris from a list of candidates proposed by Unesco national commissions.The roster of fellowships gladdens my heart, for they represent science done in a truly diverse world: microbiology (Mauritius, Yemen, Indonesia), virology (Nigeria), marine biology (U. R. of Tanzania), chemistry (Lebanon, Pakistan), biotechnology (Syrian Arab Republic), medicine (New Zealand, Romania), molecular biology (Croatia, Turkey), ecology (Argentina), developmental biology (Mexico) and cellular biology (Venezuela).Why focus on young women scientists? Although I have not personally felt in my profession (mathematics) any stigma arising from gender, international research reveal that women are underrepresented in science, and that women scientists receive less support and fewer promotions than their male colleagues.A recent Unesco Institute of Statistics study reveals that in New Zealand and Japan, only 15 percent and 18 percent, respectively, of science postgraduates are women. (The best news comes from South America, where the percentages are 59 percent and 60 percent for Argentina and El Salvador, respectively.)In 2001, the European Commission noted that women made up less than seven percent of professors and five percent of academy members in Europe.In 2002, the Greenfield Report commissioned by the British government reported that fewer than 10 percent of senior research positions in any country are held by women.Wealth of women talentHow about the Philippines? Discrimination against women in science may not be as rampant (although I don't have data to back this up), but then again, our scientists often creatively toil in adverse conditions.Our country has not yet won any of the above grants or awards, but with our wealth of women talent in the biological sciences, I don't see why this trend cannot be reversed.Application forms can be downloaded from the site www.forwomeninscience.com. Click on fellowships, then selection process, then candidate applications. Deadline for submission of applications is Sept. 15. For inquiries, call or e-mail Leica Carpo, L'Oreal public relations manager, at 632-0280 local 103 or lcarpo@ph.loreal.com.Although L'Oreal is best known for its cosmetics, it relies heavily on R&D, with almost 3,000 people working in 14 research centers in France, Asia and America, focusing on studies about antioxidants in skin care, characteristics of Asian and African hair, optics in makeup, among others. And more than half of these scientists are women--more than any other company in the industry.As for Unesco, it has helped design science curriculums specifically for girls, and has set up academic linkages among women scientists around the world. Currently, it strives to measure women's access to science training to develop appropriate policies in its member-nations.http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index.php?index=1&story_id=10193&col=117  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7705/1/E-New-candidate-country-service-for-Croatia-on-CORDIS.html ÂNew candidate country service for Croatia on CORDIS[Date: 2004-08-10]CORDIS, the European Commission's Research and Development Information Service, has launched a new web service for Croatia, following the awarding of EU candidate status to the country on 18 June 2004 by the European Council. The service currently offers in-depth coverage of the latest news as well as Croatia 's participation in European Union funded projects. The Croatian service is part of the candidate countries gateway, available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, which aims to raise awareness of candidate countries' involvement in European research programmes. This should lead to better identification of key players and national scientific strengths, thus facilitating further collaboration under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).Croatia service: http://www.cordis.lu/croatia/ÂCandidate countries gateway: http://www.cordis.lu/candidate_countries/ Category: Programme implementationData Source Provider: CIMSDocument Reference: Based on information from the service providerProgramme or Service Acronym: FRAMEWORK 6CSubject Index : Scientific Research; Regional Developmenthttp://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:22448  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7704/1/H-Miroslav-Radman-covjek-koji-je-srusio-genetski-zid.html ÂMiroslav Radman: covjek koji je srušio genetski zid. ÂIntervjui i clanci;T. Rudež (odab. i ur.)Izvori, Biblioteka ÂLUCÂ, Zagreb 2003., 250 str.ÂKoga zanima i tko je pametan, procitat ce privitak. Najpametniji i najzainteresiraniji i ispisati i dobro prouciti. Pozdrav, Matko Marusic Editor-in-Chief Croatian Medical Journal Zagreb University School of Medicine Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Phone: + 385 1 4566 782; fax: ++ 4590 222 mmarusic@mef.hr www.cmj.hr Kako vec sam naslov porucuje, sadržaj knjige cine trinaest (13) intervjua, dva (2) strucna clanka i sedam (7) novinskih kolumni. Vremenski raspon intervjua obuhvaca razdoblje od lipnja 1979. do 5. listopada 2003. godine, a strucnih clanaka i novinskih kolumni od prosinca 1966. do rujna 2003. godine. Trinaest je intervjua preneseno iz jedanaest (11) razlicitih novina, a dani su u svemu devetorici razlicitih novinara i novinarki. Slijedom toga, dobiva se slijedeci uvid u cinjenicno stanje intervjua M. Radmana u ovoj knjizi (str. 13-172): dva intervjua za Start [I. Badurina (lipanj-srpanj 1979.) i M. Galic (05. sijecnja 1991.)]; jedan intervju za Danas [T. Rudež (21. studenoga 1989.)]; jedan intervju za Novi Danas [T. Rudež, (29. lipnja 1992.)]; jedan intervju za Vijenac [T. Rudež (30. studenoga 1995.)]; jedan intervju za Tjednik [T. Rudež, (03. listopada 1997.)]; dva intervjua za Jutarnji list [T. Rudež (28. studenoga 1998.) i (27. svibnja 2000.)]; jedan intervju za Vjesnik [L. Cerni i B. Jergovic (27. sijecnja 2001.)]; jedan intervju za Feral Tribune [D. Vukorepa (3. veljace 2001.)]; jedan intervju za Playboy [Ž. Žutelija (rujan 2001.)]; jedan intervju za Nacional [20. svibnja 2003.)] i jedan intervju za Nedjeljni Vjesnik [A. K. Buterin (5. listopada 2003.)]. Novinarka Tanja Rudež je najviše, tj. šest puta intervjuirala M. Radmana, cime su otklonjena suvišna pitanja o njezinoj urednickoj i selekcijskoj ulozi u objavljivanju ove knjige. Jedan strucni clanak pod naslovom ÂKibernetika i biologija (str. 175-190) objavljen je prethodno u casopisu Hrvatskog prirodoslovnog društva Priroda (god. 3, prosinac 1966., br. 10), a drugi je clanak izvorno napisan na engleskom, objavljen u casopisu Erasmus (studeni 1997.), a u knjizi u hrvatskom prijevodu Darka Polšeka nosi naslov ÂLjudska okrutnost, kulturna bolest i evolucija (str. 191-209). Sedam (7) kolumni objavljenih od ožujka do rujna 2003. u mjesecniku Playboy cine posljednji dio sadržaja knjige (str. 211-250). Knjigu otvara ÂPredgovor Tanje Rudež (str. 5-7), nakon cega slijedi ÂSadržaj (str. 9-10). Knjiga ima tvrdi uvez s omotnicom.O intervjuima se može reci da su prigodni, što znaci da je bliži uzrok ili povod njihovu nastanku vecinom cinio neki važan dogadaj iz života i djela prof. Radmana, pa makar se radilo samo o navracanju u Hvar na odmor. Zahvaljujuci tome, iz intervjua se može rekonstruirati kratki Âbiosketch Miroslava Radmana, koji je nešto izdašniji detaljima iz profesionalnoga, a siromašniji detaljima iz osobnog života, a što je i razumljivo ako se ima u vidu razlog zbog kojega egzistencija prof. Radmana plijeni pozornost novinara i šire javnosti. Radman u nizu intervjua komentira inicijativu za osnivanje Medunarodnog centra za molekularnu genetiku (str. 61; str. 96; str. 112; str. 124-128). Ta se institucija javlja i pod drugim imenima, primjerice, Centar za molekularnu genetiku (str. 124), Mediteranski institut za istraživanje života (str. 159) ili Institut za mediteranska istraživanja (str. 171). Centar bi imao sjedište u pitoresknoj Katunaricevoj vojarni u sklopu kompleksa Vile Dalmacija u Splitu. No, podimo redom.Iz knjige saznajemo da je M. Radman roden 1944. na Šolti (str. 111) ili u Splitu (str. 167) – a bilo bi dobro da se to bolje dogovori! – od oca ribara Nikole i majke kucanice Vesne, oboje iz Maslinice na otoku Šolti (str. 34; str. 158); da je djetinjstvo i dio mladosti proveo zajedno s roditeljima u gradu Hvaru (str. 35), gdje, cini se, oni i danas žive (str. 69) i kamo on još uvijek rado i s ushitom navraca (str. 69), te Âuživa u erotici boja i mirisa svojih korijena (str. 147); da je gimnazijsko obrazovanje stekao u splitskoj gimnaziji ÂVladimir Nazor (str. 167); da je studirao biologiju na Prirodoslovno-matematickom fakultetu Sveucilišta u Zagrebu (str. 13; str. 27; str. 87); da su na njegovu osobnu formaciju izvršili utjecaj i dali znacajne poticaje prof. Ivan Supek (str. 33; str. 42-43; str. 94; str. 144) i dr. Marija Badel-Drakulic (str. 42; str. 144; str. 155); da ga je ova potonja uputila s Instituta ÂRuder Boškovic na Sveucilište u Bruxelles (str. 33), gdje je 1969. godine doktorirao (str. 13; str. 155); da je godinu dana radio u Institutu molekularne biologije u Gifsur-Yvette u Francuskoj (str. 13); da je potom trogodišnje poslijedoktorsko usavršavanje obavio na Sveucilištu Harvard u SAD-u (str. 13); da se 1973. vratio u Bruxelles, gdje je bio profesor molekularne biologije na Slobodnom Sveucilištu u Bruxellesu (str. 13; str. 27); da je sedamnaest godina radio u laboratoriju za mutagenezu u Institutu ÂJacques Monod u Parizu (str. 27; str. 155); da je 1998. prešao na mjesto direktora Laboratorija za evolutivnu, medicinsku i molekularnu genetiku Medicinskog fakulteta Necker u Parizu (str. 95; str. 145; str. 156); da na istoimenom Fakultetu predaje molekularnu medicinu; da je dvaput ženjen (str. 151); da zajedno sa svojom obitelji, tj. sa suprugom Danicom (str. 123; str. 144), etnomuzikologinjom (str. 147; str. 159), i djecom Mikulom (dizajner), Ljubom (politologinja) i Marijom (sklona umjetnostima) (str. 147-148) danas živi u Parizu (str. 95; str. 147), ali da redovito i rado svrati u Hrvatsku, poglavito u Hvar (str. 69; str. 147) i na Šoltu (str. 147), te da neprestano cezne za Dalmacijom, odnosno dalmatinskim krajobrazom, morem, mirisima, bojama i okusima, za ribanjem (str. 147) i razgovorima ugodnim po hvarskim i šoltanskim verandama, te drugim svjetskim razdraganim ambijentima, o cemu uvijek rado govori, na što se u mislima uvijek rado navraca. M. Radman ne stidi se ni svojih obiteljskih korijena niti svoga narodnog podrijetla, ali uvijek s velikom dozom opreza spram podvucenih ideologija tradicionalizma, fundamentalizma, nacionalizma (str. 39; str. 55; str. 57; str. 67; str. 78; str. 92; str. 195; str. 223-227) i (eu)genetickog rasizma (str. 38-39; str. 55; str. 65-66), koji su mu neprihvatljivi i nespojivi s osobnim pogledom na prirodoznanstvenu djelatnost i svijet. Pogled je oznacen kao Âhumani humanizam (str. 39), sintagma koju ne bi trebalo prijekim okom vrebati iza kuta ciste tautologije, vec joj treba odati priznanje za iskrenost, jer doista svako današnje razbacivanje humanizmom nije humano naprosto, barem ne kad se analiziraju i zbrajaju njegovi konkretni rezultati. Iz mnogih je dionica knjige razvidno da je Radman nekonvencionalan prirodni znanstvenik, opušten i neposredan, da mu doskocice nisu nepoznate, da ima erudiciju, ali i da ima, kako sam potvrduje svojim opredjeljenjem (str. 226-227; str. 208), smisla za humor, shvacen kao vježba Âparadoksalnog razmišljanja i detroniziranja bilo koje i bilo cije 'nedodirljivosti' (str. 226). Jednom rijecju, Miroslav Radman se otkriva kao slobodouman covjek, ciju slobodoumnost nije jednostavno vrednovati, ali ne zato jer bi to bilo nemoguce, nego zato jer je bolje da se to razjasni putem upoznavanja s nekim aspektima sadržaja ove knjige. Jer sadržaj, koliko govori o njegovim prirodoznanstvenim dostignucima toliko govori i o osobnosti M. Radmana. Cini se da iznad svih vrlina strši jednostavna skromnost, ako se pod time shvati uporno ukljucivanje zasluga drugih u vlastite uspjehe, a iskljucivanje prepotentnosti vlastitoga ja.Ova knjiga zasigurno nije nastala samo zbog statistickih podataka iz kratko iznesene, a u mnogo cemu nepotpune biografije M. Radmana, pri cemu je kao biografski izvor korištena upravo ova knjiga. Jer knjiga je nastala zasigurno zbog znacajnih otkrica i dostignuca Miroslava Radmana na polju evolucijske i molekularne biologije, o cemu možda ponajbolje svjedoce brojne nagrade i priznanja. Vrijedi ih pojedinacno spomenuti, ali ne samo zbog puke statisticke hvalisavosti vec zbog toga da postane jasnije cime se zapravo prof. Radman bavi(o) na polju prirodoznanstvenih istraživanja i zbog cega zavrjeduje status jednog od najuglednijih prirodnih znanstvenika u svijetu – k tome podrijetlom iz Hrvatske.Tzv. ÂSOS-indukcija 1979. godine priskrbila je Radmanu nagradu ÂAntoine Lacassagne Francuske nacionalne lige za borbu protiv raka (str. 13-14). Rijec je o doprinosima u fundamentalnom razumijevanju molekularnog mehanizma promjene u strukturi gena, tzv. mutacije (str. 14-16), te razumijevanju latentnog razdoblja izmedu izloženosti organizma kancerogenoj supstanciji i samog razvoja kancerogena (str. 17-20). Jedan od najuglednijih prirodoznanstvenih casopisa u svijetu Nature, 23. studenoga 1989., objavio je rezultate istraživanja M. Radmana u kojima je obznanjeno križanje dviju bakterija, Escherichiae coli i Salmonellae, koje se nisu križale posljednjih 150 milijuna godina (str. 27-28; str. 45; str. 73; str. 135). Tom je prigodom Radman predstavljen hrvatskoj javnosti pod naslovom ÂKljucari genetske šifre (str. 27), a dvije godine kasnije, tocnije 5. sijecnja 1991., predstavljen je pod naslovom ÂCovjek koji je srušio genetski zid (str. 33). Time je otklonjeno svako suvišno pitanje o podrijetlu naslova ove knjige. Otkrice je pokazalo kako od jedne vrste nastaju dvije, odnosno od dvije neka treca. Rušenjem mehanizma barijere medu vrstama, dan je dokaz darvinistickoj teoriji evolucije života (str. 45-46). Razdvajanje vrste rezultat je aktivnosti enzima, tj. molekula koje vrše funkciju usporedivanja dvaju razlicitih genetskih tekstova, majke i oca, u procesu seksualne reprodukcije. Zahvaljujuci aktivnosti korekcijskih enzima koji usporeduju genetske tekstove dvaju roditelja, gube se razlike i dvije biološke vrste ponašaju se kao jedna (str. 48). Posrijedi je primjer za Âhome made evolution (str. 135). Kamo nas to može odvesti nije besmisleno, nego itekako smisleno i razborito pitanje. M. Radman kaže da Âne vjeruje da bi se itko htio upustiti u križanje izmedu covjeka i neke druge vrste. Tko bi preuzeo takvu odgovornost, sve kad bi i bilo moguce? (str. 49). Tom bi pitanju možda dobro pristajao jedan protuargument, a mogao bi glasiti ovako: odgovornost bi preuzeo onaj isti koji je preuzeo odgovornost za Hirošimu i Nagasaki. A to je bio gospodin Nitko Nikadic. Nadalje, prof. Radman je 1992. godine dobio nagradu ÂCharles Leopold Meyer za biologiju i medicinu Francuske akademije znanosti (str. 61). Iza toga je stajao podastrti dokaz o mogucem ucinkovitom zamjenjivanju bolesnih zdravim genima u mišu, a onda najvjerojatnije jednom u samome covjeku (str. 64). Prije negoli je ugledni prirodoznanstveni casopis Science 1997. objavio otkrice molekularne osnove starenja, Radman je priznao da im je Ânametnut embargo na govor o tom otkricu (str. 80). Tako se, ondje gdje bi se najmanje ocekivalo, nade pokoji autoritet iznad autoriteta. Na taj se nacin niša sa strahom od ne-prirodoznanstvenih ideologija popunjava, uvjetno govoreci, strahom od neke Ânove ideologijeÂ. No, dobro, ne treba cjepidlaciti. Dakle, Radman i njegov tim otkrili su da se u procesu starenja stanice gomilaju pogreške u sintezi proteina. Stanice se troše, a trošenje se placa smanjenjem energetike stanice (str. 80-81). Nadalje, M. Radman je 1998. dobio Grand Prix A.R.C.-a (Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer) ÂLeopold Griffuel za doprinos u istraživanju bolesti raka (str. 87). Konacno je onkogenetika prepoznala važnost rada i na genima za održavanje genetske stabilnosti (str. 88), dakle na drugoj skupini gena koja nije izravno vezana za diobu stanice, nego za održavanje samih gena. Pocetkom 2000. godine Miroslav Radman dobio je nagradu Francuskog biokemijskog društva, te ujedno Grand Prix ÂRichard LounsberyÂ, koju zajedno dodjeljuju Americka i Francuska akademija znanosti (str. 95; str. 103), a tijekom te iste godine Americko društvo ÂEnvironmental Mutagent dodijelilo mu je godišnju nagradu za 2000., s obrazloženjem o doprinosu u istraživanjima opcih mehanizama genetske (ne)stabilnosti, otkrivanju uzrocnika karcinoma i produbljivanju spoznaja o biološkoj evoluciji organizama (str. 95). Na kraju ovoga niza došla je još jedna nagrada, ovaj puta najveca francuska nagrada za medicinska istraživanja, naime ona što ju dodjeljuje glasoviti ÂInserm (str. 161), a zasluge proistjecu iz rada na mehanizmima genetskih promjena, reparaciji DNA molekule, mutagenezi i proucavanju evolucije bioloških vrsta (str. 164). Sve u svemu, evolucija života, mutacije gena i reparacije DNA stoje u središtu znanstvenoistraživacke djelatnosti M. Radmana. Odnedavna je Radman postao redovnim clanom Francuske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti (str. 161), a koja ima relativno mali numerus clausus – svega 40. A što je s Nobelovom nagradom? Jednom biologu? Nemoguce. Nobelova nagrada za biologiju ne postoji. No, ako se pusti po strani njegova skromnost (str. 146; str. 170), možda se, ipak, nešto znacajnijega valja iza premještaja 1998. na Medicinski fakultet Necker u Parizu. Bliže lijecnicima, sadašnjim i buducim, bliže bolnici, bliže lijecenju bolesnika, jednom rijecju, bliže medicini opcenito pa na kraju što bude. A možda i bude?Pitanja što ih ova knjiga postavlja zainteresiranom citatelju mogu se razvrstati u cetiri skupine. Prvu skupinu cine pitanja povezana s razumijevanjem samih prirodnih znanosti. Drugu skupinu cine ona povezana s prvom skupinom, a to su pretpostavljene filozofske postavke o životu, covjeku i svijetu uopce. Trecu skupinu cine pitanja povezana s religijom. Cetvrtu skupinu cine ona povezana s etikom u prirodoznanstvenim istraživanjima, odnosno sa širim društvenim reperkusijama tih istraživanja. Bilo bi pretenciozno ocekivati od ovoga prikaza da se detaljno bavi svim tim pitanjima. No, da ne bi sve ostalo u zraku, ipak, valja iznijeti na vidjelo ponešto iz svih tih skupina pitanja.Najprije jedan ispravak netocnog navoda. Radman kaže da je Âgenetika mlada znanostÂ, a zatim nastavlja da ju je Âutemeljio dominikanski redovnik Gregor Mendel u drugoj polovici 19. stoljeca (str. 99). Ipak, Mendel je bio augustinski monah. Je li to cjepidlacenje? Ako bi netko rekao da je Einstein bio biolog, a netko drugi ga ispravio i rekao da je bio fizicar, bi li to onda bilo cjepidlacenje? To bi bio ispravak netocnog navoda. Što o prirodnim znanostima?ÂZa objašnjenje svijeta u kojem živimo nama treba samo znanost (str. 91). Valjda M. Radman misli na prirodnu znanost. Nije li to, ipak, premalo? Za objašnjenje strukture, svojstava, zakonitosti i procesa materijalnoga svijeta svakako, jer to spada u opis metode prirodoznanstvene djelatnosti. No, postavlja se pitanje, zar je smisao cjelokupne zbilje i u njoj ljudske stvarnosti, dakle i svijesti i duha, objašnjiv prirodoznanstvenim postupcima i metodama? ÂKada budemo, zahvaljujuci biologiji i genetici, bolje poznavali ljudsku prirodu, moci cemo konstruirati norme i regulative koje ce više odgovarati prosjecnom covjeku (str. 92). Valjda prof. Radman misli na biološku ljudsku prirodu, a ne ujedno i u isti mah na ontološku ljudsku prirodu. Jer, ako moralne norme ponašanja svoje opravdanje duguju spoznajama biologije i genetike, cemu onda ideja kulturalne evolucije? O tome sam autor kaže: ÂKulturno i biološko nasljede najizravnije razgovaraju na razini živcanog sustava, mozga i žlijezda, hormona i živaca (str. 141). Ne zatvara li se tom tvrdnjom naturalisticki krug? Nije li u njoj sadržana ideja prirodoznanstvenog naturalizma? Istina, ideja kao takva nije do kraja eksplicirana. Možda je može bolje izreci sam autor: ÂDarwinova je teorija evolucije, naoko jednostavna, kljucna za razumijevanje života, medicine, kulture, ekonomije, društva: genetika je samo nadgradnja njegovih genijalnih postavki (str. 133; usp. str. 247). Za taj je kontekst indikativna misao: Želio bih, dakle, otkriti postoji li znanstvena baza solidarnosti, bratstva i sestrinstva, no da to ne bude novo vjerovanje u 10 zapovijedi koji se pridržava tako malo ljudi (str. 168). Zar je moguce da je ama baš sve u genima? ÂMislim da samo preostali zagovornici kreacionizma, koji ponovno buja u Americi te prodire u Europu, mogu tvrditi da nismo genetski determinirani (str. 85). Pretpostavljena ideja evolucionizma, zajedno s genetickim determinizmom, cini se, predstavljaju zadnju instanciju objašnjenja zbilje. Da se razumijemo. Nije upitna biološka evolucija života. Nisu upitni ni geni kao najmanje materijalne cestice nasljedivanja. Nisu upitne niti zakonitosti nasljedivanja, mutacija, itd. Upitna je ÂteorijaÂ, a razlog leži u cinjenici što je Âteorija prisiljena objašnjavati stvarnost na metaznanstvenoj – filozofskoj razini, koristeci se pritom idejama, pojmovima i konceptima koji nisu cisto prirodoznanstvenog, nego epistemološkog i metafizickog karaktera. ÂBiološko i kulturno nasljede uvjetovalo je jedno drugo – to su dva komplementarna nasljeda (str. 189). Zatim nastavlja: ÂCovjecanstvo je danas toliko mocno da ne može biti pasivna igracka biološke evolucije, vec je dužno upravljati sudbinom svijeta (str. 190). Što bi to sve moglo znaciti, ostaje otvorenim. No, valja barem naznaciti dvije super aktualne teme. Prva se tice prijetnji od samouništenja. Druga se tice odgovornosti za preživljavanje u buducnosti. Je li mladi Miroslav Radman vec davne 1966. godine shvacao svu bremenitost napisanih rijeci: Âupravljati sudbinom svijetaÂ? S tim se mislima otvara filozofska skupina pitanja. No, prije toga ostaje i dalje otvorenim pitanjem jesu li prirodne znanosti samodostatne za cjelovito objašnjenje svijeta, covjeka i života pod vidom definitivne istine i, dakako, smisla sveukupne zbilje? To je pitanje, ako ništa drugo, barem u stanju zadovoljiti jedan kriterij što ga je predložio M. Radman, a zove se mentalna gimnastika (Âmind buildingÂ), koji omogucuje da Âpokažemo roge svetoj kravi (str. 223-227), ma kako se ta krava zvala. Zato sad jedno mentalno-gimnasticko pitanje. Naime, nisu li se možda u naše vrijeme upravo prirodne znanosti prometnule u novu i nedodirljivu svetu kravu?Na pitanje: Što bi za svakog istraživaca u njegovu radu trebalo biti najvažnije?Â, M. Radman odgovara: ÂTraganje za istinom. Istraživaci bi trebali uciti mlade, djecu, da je ljubav prema istini najvažnija, jer jedino se uz istinu covjek može relaksirati (str. 143; usp. str. 195). Kao da govori K. Popper. Ima li netko tko se s tim odgovorom ne bi složio? Medutim, što je istina? Krucijalno epistemološko pitanje. Ono je sasvim na mjestu, ako se imaju na umu prethodne napomene koje mjestimice ostavljaju dojam da jedinu pravu istinu o svijetu, covjeku i životu definiraju prirodne znanosti. Da ne bi bilo zabune, prirodoznanstvene istine nisu upitne. Suludo bi bilo dovoditi u pitanje, primjerice, heliocentricni sustav, teoriju (opcu i posebnu) relativnosti, biološku evoluciju života, zakonitosti nasljedivanja, itd. No, tim se prirodoznanstvenim istinama ne rješava pitanje istine kao takve, vec se rješavaju objašnjivost i razumljivost cinjenicnog stanja stvari u materijalnome svijetu, tj. njegov razvoj, zakonitosti i procesi, njegovi usponi i padovi, njegove slucajnosti i determiniranosti, njegov kaos i kozmos. Medutim, je li sve to dovoljno da bi istina bila relaksacijska u strogom smislu? Bliže je istini da nas, primjerice, geološka istina o nastanku zemljotresa frustrira i zastrašuje, nego što nas relaksira. Lijepo je znati (= istina) kako nastaje zemljotres. Lijepo je znati (= istina) kako zemljotres eventualno možemo predvidjeti u svrhu sprjecavanja ljudskih žrtava. No, teško je zamisliti da bi nas Âistina o zemljotresu ikada mogla relaksirati. Takvo znanje (= istina) u svakom je slucaju milijun puta bolje od neznanja. No, takva istina (= znanje) nije ništa bolja od Ânajgore laži (dakako, zbog kobnih posljedica izvan moci ljudske kontrole). Dakle, što je uopce istina? Konkretno, koja istina posjeduje apsolutnu relaksacijsku snagu?Treca se skupina pitanja odnosi na religiju. Zamjetno je da ideja religije i ideja Boga u knjizi nisu jednoznacno poimane ideje, pa ih je dobro razluciti. Bez sitnicavog zadiranja u dublju problematiku odnosa religije i Boga u ovoj knjizi, možda bi se moglo nacelno pretpostaviti da je autor otvoren za neka teološka pitanja, odnosno za teološke implikacije svojih tvrdnji. Možda? No, što je s religijom u ovoj knjizi? Religija se uglavnom javlja u negativnom i raznim bojaznima nabijenom kontekstu. ÂKonacno, od ideologija, politickih ili religioznih, i ovisi hoce li se i saznanja iz genetike koristiti protiv ljudi ili ne. Ali, samo po sebi, saznanja iz genetike nikako ne mogu biti opasna (str. 30). Svekolika problematicnost ideološke zatucanosti jest neupitna, bila ona motivirana religijskim ili politickim idejama. No, otkako postoje moderne prirodne znanosti, njihovo je koketiranje s ideologijama prisutno. Kao primjer, dovoljno je spomenuti Francisa Galtona, zacetnika zloglasne eugenike, koja je rasisticka u samome idejnom zametku. Bilo bi ravno neoprostivom propustu kad se ne bi jasno istaknulo distanciranje M. Radmana od bilo kakvih Âdogmaticnih zloupotreba genetike (usp. str. 55). Medutim, bez ikakvih zlonamjernih pretjerivanja, valja otvoreno reci da je F. Galton bio oduševljeni prirodoslovac. On je Darwinovu teoriju evolucije shvatio na svoj eugenicki nacin, tj. kao Âznanost za poboljšanje ljudske vrste, dajuci rasama i rodovima boljeg krvnog podrijetla vecu mogucnost da se rasprostrane i prevladaju nad onima koji su manje obdareniÂ. Zbog toga je i danas kao i jucer potreban ogroman oprez u baratanju idejama ljudske prirode, upoznavanja samoga sebe putem upoznavanja biološke prirode i rada na samom poboljšanju ljudske – biološke – prirode. Dobro je znano kako su nacisticki lijecnici iskoristili Âiskonsku plemenitost eugenike. Imajuci sve to na umu, valja otvoreno reci da nije religija kao takva kriva za nikakvo stvarno zlo. Krive su religiozne i druge osobe koje su zloupotrebljavale religiju i religijske istine protiv covjeka i njegove dobrobiti. Isto tako valja reci da nisu prirodne znanosti kao takve krive za nikakvo stvarno zlo. Krivi su neki prirodni znanstvenici i drugi ljudi koji su zloupotrebljavali prirodoznanstvene istine, otkrica i dostignuca protiv covjeka i njegove dobrobiti. Upoznavši erudiciju Miroslava Radmana, covjek bi ocekivalo da se izbjegne napast od bacanja djeteta zajedno s prljavom vodom. Dakako, u slucaju religije i u slucaju prirodnih znanosti. U zadnjoj instanciji neke su osobe problem, a ne ni religija kao takva niti prirodne znanosti kao takve. ÂSve dok nas opsjeda ideološka varka kako su ljudi po prirodi dobri, sve dok se mase ljudi zavode nekim mitskim i fundamentalistickim vjerovanjem u posebne sposobnosti i vrline za koje nema istinitih dokaza, ljudi ce se sukobljavati, ne samo kao pojedinci nego kao grupe, kao nacije, kao države (str. 38). Razvidna je pretpostavka da su ljudi po prirodi zli. U tome nije teško naslutiti ideju Th. Hobbesa Âhomo homini lupusÂ, i to ni manje ni više nego po prirodnom odredenju (usp. str. 168). Drugim, tj. razumljivim jezikom receno, covjek je po prirodnom odredenju ÂbeštijaÂ. Tocno, covjek je ÂanimalÂ. No, ne bi trebalo zaboraviti humano odredenje ÂrationaleÂ? Cini se da je daleko bliže istini da se ljudi radaju i dobri i zli, a ono što ce doista postati u životu ponajprije i najviše ima zahvaliti odgoju. Slijedom toga, neminovno se namece potreba za suceljavanjem odgoja s mitologijom i fundamentalizmom. Ali, cemu suceljavanje? Treba biti dovoljno otvoren i pošten pa priznati da mitologija i fundamentalizam nisu strani ni prirodnim znanostima, po istom onom cas prije opisanom pravilu po kojemu su neke osobe problem, a ne ni religija kao takva niti prirodne znanosti kao takve. Radman je i dalje uporan pa kaže: ÂZa razliku od neznanja i mitološkog razmišljanja, ideologije i religije su iskljucive, pretendiraju na apsolutnu istinu – svi drugi su neprijatelji, nevjernici koje treba sprijeciti, cak fizicki (str. 39). Zacuduje cinjenica da se još uvijek netolerancija i religija uzimaju gotovo pa u istoznacnom smislu. Istina, za takvo što dale su povoda mnoge religiozne osobe i skupine svojim lošim ponašanjem u ime religije. No, treba otvoreno reci da, ipak, religija kao takva nije simbol netolerancije. Ta tvrdnja apsolutno stoji za evandeosko kršcanstvo. U konacnici su netolerantne neke religiozne osobe. Bilo ih je, ima ih i razložno je pretpostaviti da ce ih biti i u buducnosti. No, ne bi bilo poželjno upasti u jednostranost. Ima mnogo netolerantnih osoba koje uopce nisu religiozne. Može li itko s apsolutnom sigurnošcu tvrditi da medu prirodnim znanstvenicima nema netolerantnih osoba? U tom je pogledu indikativna tzv. Ânova religioznost Francisa Cricka (usp. str. 116), inace su-otkrivaca strukture DNA molekule, zajedno s Jamesom Watsonom, i dobitnika Nobelove nagrade. Prema opisu M. Radmana cini se da je religiozna pozadina veoma bliska ideji raelijanske pseudoreligije koja jednako odbacuje ideju Boga Stvoritelja i cinjenicnost biološke evolucije, a promovira pseudovjeru u vanzemaljce koji su navodno prije otprilike dvadeset pet (25) tisuca godina stvorili život na Zemlji uz pomoc genetickog inženjeringa. Kako bilo da bilo, M. Radman je religiju (ili mitologiju) spomenuo na više drugih mjesta (str. 39; str. 57; str. str. 85; str. 195; str. 224), ali uz najbolju volju nije moguce naslutiti ništa pozitivnoga u njegovim kontekstualnim interpretacijama religije. Tome u prilog može poslužiti slijedeca misao: ÂJa, medutim, mislim da ce znanost samo pridonijeti da se smanji obmanjivanje ljudi od strane karizmatskih, religioznih i kvazireligioznih lidera, cije ideje vode izrabljivanju ljudi (str. 92). Da znanja i spoznaje prirodnih znanosti doista mogu pridonijeti, a vec odavno i pridonose, smanjivanju raznih oblika praznovjerja – to je neupitna cinjenica. One doista doprinose procišcavanju religije od suvišnih iracionalnosti. No, staviti u istu ravan karizmatske, religiozne i kvazireligiozne lidere pomalo je pretjerano, pa je slijedom toga otežano jednoznacno vrednovanje tvrdnje da oni Âvode izrabljivanju ljudiÂ. Uostalom, previše je danas opasnih i bezocnih izrabljivaca ljudi, a da bi u tome religijski lideri predstavljali ozbiljnu konkurentsku izrabljivacku snagu.O Bogu? O toj temi Miroslav Radman ne razvija teološke misli, vec se Bog javlja u nekoliko navrata kao ideja koja bi ukazivala na ljudske granice, ali ne iskljucivo. U kontekstu govora o genskom lijecenju germinalne linije, Radman kaže: ÂNe smije se covjek igrati Boga i buduci da ne znamo što ce se dogoditi za deset, stotinu ili tisucu godina i koji ce defektni gen imati funkciju preživljavanja, veoma je delikatno i opasno upuštati se u gensko lijecenje germinalne linije (str. 76). Drugim rijecima, sloboda znanstvenih istraživanja nije apsolutna. Na pitanje ima li neki metafizicki kontekst, neko intimno poimanje Boga, M. Radman odgovara: ÂEvolucija je jednosmjerna, nema, izgleda, nikada povratka unatrag. Rješenja se uvijek nalaze u inovacijama. Dakle, ukoliko Bog postoji, onda je on hazarder, onda je on darvinisticki evolucionist, što je, na neki nacin, potvrdila i Papinska akademija [znanosti, op. T.M.]. Dakle, cak i Papa priznaje da je evolucija realnost, ali da ju je Bog omogucio (str. 116). Odgovor puno obecava za otvaranje partnerskog dijaloga izmedu teologije i biološke teorije evolucije. Nadalje, veoma su zanimljive opservacije M. Radmana na temu kloniranja. Jedna u ovom kontekstu zaslužuje pozornost, iako izvucena iz konteksta, kao štošta drugo, gubi na misaonoj snazi. ÂA kako bi Covjek (s velikim C) mogao dokazati da stvarno zna o cemu se to Sve radi? Tako što bi predvidenom kombinacijom atoma mogao Âklonirati bilo što: mene primjerice, ili kravlji drek! To ja zovem Kloniranjem (s velikim K!). Kad bi bio kadar da tako sve klonira, onda bi Covjek (s velikim C), mogao reci da je postao Bog (s velikim B) i polako, u miru Božjem, umrijeti od dosade (str. 215). Cišcenje Â'korova' iz bogatog, lijepog i korisnog blaga narodnih iskustava i tradicija (str. 226), odvijalo bi se, po Radmanu, uz pomoc znanstveno-kritickog razmišljanja i univerzalnog znanja provjerenog eksperimentima, kreativnom umjetnickom slobodom, koja bi razbijala ustaljene kodekse i stimulirala maštu i, na kraju, homorom (usp. str. 226). Humor je specijalni izbor M. Radmana. U navedenome je mnogo toga sadržano što je vec ranije problematizirano. Tendencije su dobro prepoznatljive. No, kakve to sve ima veze s Bogom? Ima, jer prof. Radman pita: ÂA zašto bi bilo zabranjeno našaliti se na racun Bogova (monoteistickih religija)? Kako cinovnici religija znaju da njihov Bog nema smisla za humor? (str. 227). A kako bi inace trebali znati da njihov Bog ima smisla za humor? Teško je previdjeti antropomorfizam u govoru o Bogu. Stvar je sasvim legitimna, no što se njome rješava? Radman dodaje: ÂMoj Bog ga ima! (str. 227). Doista, nije jasno odakle ta nacelna nespojivost humora s idejom Boga? Ako cemo pravo, kršcanski Bog uopce nije neki narogušeni i namršteni vještac. Na pitanje o tome je li bliži komediji ili tragediji, najtocniji bi odgovor bio da je u svemu apsolutno realan. No, ni to nije dovoljno. Osim što Bog ima smisla za humor, za Miroslava Radmana je Âusto i velikodušna, tolerantna, lijepa i vjeruje u pamet, ljubav, znanje i bratstvo i sestrinstvo (str. 227). Implikacije feministicke teologije evidentne su. Ali nije posve jasno kojeg je usmjerenja, s obzirom na cinjenicu da ima više razlicitih pravaca feministicke teologije. Da se Boga može razložno oslovljavati ženskim imenima i atributima, predstavlja pomalo anakronisticku temu unutar feministicke teologije. Svi su došli pameti i shvatili da je Bog samo i jedino Bog, a ostalo su eufemisticki antropomorfizmi.Cetvrta skupina pitanja tice se etickih u užem i društvenih u širem smislu implikacija prirodoznanstvenih istraživanja, iz cega nije iskljucena ni inicijativa M. Radmana za osnivanje Mediteranskog instituta za istraživanje života u Splitu. Podimo redom. Što se tice kompetencije filozofa, osobito eticara, za teme i dileme na polju biologijskih i medicinskih znanosti, Radman spram toga izražava svojevrsnu skepticnost. ÂKontinentalna Europa, posebno Francuska i Njemacka, prenosi raspravu o takvim pitanjima [tj. o pitanjima terapijskog kloniranja, op. T.M.] filozofima, više-manje zdravim specijalistima tradicionalne europske etike! Oni naprosto nisu kompetentni za odlucivanje o primjeni totipotentnih stanica u terapijske svrhe (str. 110). Da razjasnimo. ÂTotipotentne stanice su biološki terminus technicus kojim se nazivaju embrionske (maticne) stanice podobne za razlicite vrste biomedicinskih manipulacija u svrhu buduce terapijske upotrebe u lijecenju. Na temelju iznesenoga citata, pita se tko je uopce kompetentan? Što se tice same tehnicke upotrebe i primjene totipotentnih stanica, filozofi apsolutno nisu kompetentni. Ali se tu ne radi o biološkoj ili medicinskoj kompetenciji, nego o jednoj drugoj vrsti kompetencije koja predstavlja lakmusov papir za otvorenost prirodoznanstvene djelatnosti izvanjskoj, tj. ne-prirodoznanstvenoj, dakle etickoj, pravnoj i uopce društvenoj kontroli. Možda rijec kontrola nije najsretniji izbor, no postavlja se pitanje što je problematicno u tome da kontinentalna Europa, u skladu sa svojom kulturnom i filozofskom tradicijom, dode do sebi svojstvenog etickog i pravnog rješenja tog problema? Zar bi svi trebali stajati skrštenih ruku pred naletom neumoljivog anglosaksonskog pragmaticnog utilitarizma, kojemu su korist i profit jedina preokupacija u razmatranju etickih i pravnih tema, kao i dilema na biomedicinskom i inom podrucju ljudske djelatnosti? Jer ako Miroslav Radman za sebe otvoreno tvrdi da nije Ânasjedao kratkorocnim ponudama i profitimaÂ, jer je znao da ga Âto ne bi ispunjavalo zadovoljstvom (str. 144), te ako mu materijalna dobra nisu nikad bila u prvom planu, onda bi tu ipak trebalo otvoreno reci da, globalno gledano, stvari u prakticnim odnosima izmedu prirodoznanstvene djelatnosti, s jedne, te ekonomije i bussinesa, s druge strane, stoje bitno drukcije. Primjer M. Radmana, kako ga je osobno izložio, zaslužuje pohvalu. No, to je iznimka koja samo potvrduje pravilo o višestrukoj isprepletenosti prirodoznanstvene – osobito biomedicinske – djelatnosti i kapitala. Dovoljno je uzeti za primjer stanje primarne zdravstvene zaštite u znanstveno-tehnicki najrazvijenijoj, materijalno najbogatijoj i medicinski najnaprednijoj zemlji svijeta – SAD. Netko bi mogao prigovoriti da je posrijedi politicka odluka. Da, medutim realna politika bez realnog kapitala jest nemocna politika. Tko bi onda poželio takav zdravstveni sustav uvesti u kontinentalnu Europu, taj bi doista trebao iskljuciti filozofe, ali ne samo njih, iz biomedicinskih rasprava. Biomedicina je postala preskupa. To je tema za sebe. Neka se pažljivo procita djelo Némésis medicale Ivana Illicha. Cini se da je teško pronaci protuargumente koji bi bili u stanju razuvjeriti sugovornika o potrebi interdisciplinarnog pristupa u rješavanju biomedicinskih tema i dilema. Medutim, dok M. Radman za Âsvoj buduci institut u Splitu kaže da bi Âprvi produkt tog centra bila generacija novih, mladih profesionalaca, koji bi bili specijalisti iz multidisciplinarnog razmišljanja (str. 160), tj. da ce Âstvarati mlade interdisciplinarne strucnjake (str. 172), dotle ostaje neumoljiv i kaže: ÂNe treba miješati politiku i socijalu u istraživanje, treba poci od istine, pa rješavati probleme, a ne 'rješavati' probleme tako da se sprecava da se istina ikad dozna (str. 56-57). Misli li se tu na prirodoznanstvenu – biološku – istinu? Iz šireg se konteksta baš to dade zakljuciti. Naime, Âistina o kojoj je rijec izbija iz dobrog poznavanja ljudske prirode, koja je gotovo kao u pravilu shvacena pojmovima atoma, molekula, gena (usp. str. 57). Znaci da je polazna Âistina za rješavanje Âsvih društvenih problema biološka istina o covjeku. Ako je biološka istina o covjeku zadnja instancija za vrednovanje humanuma u totalitetu, onda više nema prepreka da se takva Âistina prometne u ideologiju. Posljedicno, moglo bi se zakljuciti da se sve ono što se osporava drugim ideologijama, filozofijama i religijama želi samo nadomjestiti svojom konacnom ÂistinomÂ, tj. ideologijom. Zanimljiva je još jedna stvar. Naime, Radman kaže da se Âhumanisticka inteligencija mnogo cešce vrti oko vlasti nego tehnicka inteligencija (str. 148). Preširoki su pojmovi da bi ih se moglo jednoznacno shvatiti. Kako bilo, humanisticka inteligencija zasigurno misli da stvari stoje obrnuto, barem kad je rijec o bliskosti vlasti i kapitala, odnosno profita. Kapital se, medu ostalim, umnaža zahvaljujuci industrijskoj proizvodnji, a industrijska proizvodnja nije ništa drugo nego tehnicka i/ili tehnološka primjena znanja i spoznaja prirodnih znanosti. K tome, ne bi se smjelo zaboraviti da u tim okolnostima raznoliko izrabljivanje ljudi nije prestalo, vec su samo detaljno razradene sofisticirane metode izrabljivanja. Tako se na rad i radne uvjete stavlja Âsocijalna maskaÂ. Iza te se maske skriva veliki Izrabljivac (s velikim I) koji suptilnim metodama, medu kojima nisu iskljucene metode prijetnje i diskvalifikacije, iskorištava radnike. Tu je cinjenicu prepoznao i sam Miroslav Radman (str. 168; str. 170-171).O problemu reproduktivnog kloniranja, tj. kloniranja usmjerenog na stvaranje geneticki identicnog ljudskog bica drugom ljudskom bicu – davatelju genetickog materijala iz jezgre svoje somatske stanice, Radman je jasan i odrješit: ÂKlonirati ljudsko bice moguce je, ali kriminalna djelatnost. Bioeticke komisije odavno rade na regulativi, ali ovdje vec izlazimo iz moje domene, jer to je podrucje zakonodavstva (str. 139). Zatim dodaje, Âali ne vidim humanistickoga razloga da se klonira covjek (str. 139). Kloniranje covjeka u tehnickom smislu nije neki problem. ÂStoga bioeticke komitete ocekuje nadasve delikatan, golem posao (str. 83). Oni koji bi se eventualno odlucili na reproduktivno kloniranje, istice M. Radman, mogli bi ocekivati sudski proces protiv sebe od strane stvorenoga klona, koji bi mogao reci: ÂNe osjecam se dobro i zato vas po džepu opaliti 100 milijuna dolara/eura! (str. 213). Time bi problem bio riješen. Rijecima Miroslava Radmana: ÂS nekoliko takvih procesa riješili bismo problem reproduktivnog kloniranja bez pomoci moralizatora, bioeticara, filozofa, teologa, itd. (str. 213). Bioeticari, filozofi i teolozi to ne shvacaju tonom obeshrabrenja, vec svoje intelektualne i duhovne snage i dalje stavljaju na raspolaganje društvu za rješavanje vrucih tema i dilema na polju prirodnih, poglavito biomedicinskih znanosti.Pred sam kraj dobro je, makar kratko, zaustaviti se na inicijativi Miroslava. Radmana za osnivanje u više navrata spomenutog centra ili instituta u sklopu Vile Dalmacija u Splitu. Bez sustezanja valja priznati da inicijativa uzeta sama za sebe nije problematicna. Nema sumnje da su prirodoznanstvena istraživanja poželjna i dobrodošla. Medutim, uz njih je usko vezana ideja ÂnapretkaÂ. Ona je danas postala toliko ideologizirana da se svako odstupanje od nje u javnom diskursu proskribira kao opskurantisticka rabota uperena protiv stecevina modernog doba, zacinjena skrivenim namjerama za povratak na staro. Takvo je gledanje na samu stvar pretjerano. Štoviše, ono je iracionalno. Ono se temelji na strahu od necega cemu je definitivno odzvonilo i na što više nema šansi za povratak. Povijest ide svojim linearnim tokom naprijed. Upravo zbog toga, nikome ne bi smjelo biti svejedno kamo taj Ânapredak vodi, jer prijetnje od samouništenja, destrukcija prirodnoga svijeta, posvemašnje osiromašenje prostora humanuma, samo su neke opcenito oslovljene nuspojave vec ostvarenoga ÂnapretkaÂ. Nihilizam nije ono nešto vec ostvareno, nego ono nešto što se kontinuirano ostvaruje, zahvaljujuci ponajviše upravo ideologizaciji Ânapretka pod svaku cijenu. Dakako, u ime jedne ÂistineÂ.Miroslav Radman u više je navrata u svojim intervjuima tumacio kako zamišlja organizaciju i rad instituta. Odatle doznajemo cijeli niz detalja. Uzeti zajedno, svi ti detalji vode do jednog sasvim opcenitog, ali krucijalnog pitanja što ga namece ova inicijativa. No, prije toga, evo kako tece inicijativa i kako je zamišljena organizacija i rad instituta. Za tu je svrhu Radman obavio cijeli niz predradnji, uglavnom posjeta i razgovora, koje cine solidan temelj zakljucku da ce nešto od svega toga i biti. Razgovore je i dogovore imao s prominentnim medunarodnim molekularnim biolozima i drugim znanstvenicima (str. 77-77; str. 124; str. 127), s bivšim Ministrom znanosti i tehnologije u Vladi RH, prof. dr. Hrvojem Kraljevicem (str. 96; str. 111; str. 126; str. 171), s bivšim Ministrom znanosti i tehnologije u Vladi RH prof. dr. Dragom Flegom (str. 171), s bivšim gradonacelnikom Splita Ivanom Škaricem (str. 112) i s bivšim Rektorom splitskog Sveucilišta, prof. dr. Milom Babicem (str. 111), a cinjenica da je M. Radman recentno postao savjetnik za znanost dr. Ive Sanadera, predsjednika Vlade RH, te da je isti javno podržao inicijativu, govore u prilog potpunoj potpori projektu od sadašnje hadezeove, kao uostalom i od bivše koalicijske Vlade. U svemu bi Hrvatska bila donator uporabe zgrade i terena, dok bi EMBO (ÂEuropean Molecular Biology Organization iz Heidelberga u Njemackoj), ciji je M. Radman redovni clan od 1978. (str. 128), preuzela znanstveno vodstvo, cime bi institut ili centar dobio status medunarodne znanstvene institucije (str. 125). Financiranje placa i projekata predvideno je iz inozemstva, cime se i znanstveni kriteriji i financijski troškovi uvoze iz svijeta u Hrvatsku (str. 125), dok bi se Âtežina placa utvrdivala prema svjetskim, a ne domacim kriterijima. Splitska znanstvena institucija bi po svemu trebala biti jedinstvena u svijetu (str. 171). U njoj bi se trebalo misliti nezamislivo, gajeci snove uz pomoc najboljih tehnickih sredstava i intelektualnih snaga (str. 172). Splitski institut ili centar trebao bi biti prepoznatljiv po svojoj specificnosti kakvu nemaju ni Harvard ni Stanford (str. 160), a imao bi jedinstvenu u svijetu povezanost s americkim Cold Spring Harbor Laboratoryjem na Long Islandu nadomak New Yorka (str. 124). Ovaj potonji poslužio bi kao koncepcijski uzor za organiziranje znanstvenoistraživackog rada i relaksacije u Splitu (str. 126), jer osim znanstvenog bavljenja molekularnom biologijom predvidena su intenzivna obiteljska i prijateljska druženja znanstvenika, njihovih supruga i djece (str. 171-172). Centar ili institut imao bi najviše stotinjak istraživaca, koji bi potpisivali ugovore na odredeno vrijeme (str. 128). Zamišljen je kao ekstrateritorijalna zona, u kojoj ce mladi prirodni znanstvenici igrati one Âigre za koje ne postoje Âigracki uvjeti u slicnim institutima u svijetu (usp. str. 160). Postao bi svjetski rasadnik mladih prirodnih znanstvenika (str. 160), senzibiliziranih za multidisciplinarno i interdisciplinarno razmišljanje. Institut ili centar nosio bi ime poznatog hrvatskog molekularnog geneticara i dugogodišnjeg direktora Cold Spring Harbor Laboratoryja, Milislava Demerca. S radom bi trebao zapoceti u jesen 2004. (str. 172).Na samome kraju, sricemo prije najavljeno krucijalno pitanje. Buduci da Vlada RH sudjeluje kao donator uporabe zgrade i kao financijer obnove derutne Katunariceve vojarne (str. 160), te svesrdno podržava inicijativu i projekt – postavlja se fundamentalno pitanje o odnosu izmedu znanstvenoistraživacke djelatnosti u buducem centru i pravno-zakonodavnog poretka Republike Hrvatske. Hvale je vrijedna administrativna i financijska potpora ovoj inicijativi, no pravna, zakonska i eticka pitanja povezana poglavito s vrstama znanstvenoistraživackih projekata i dalje ostaju otvorenima. Quod non licet bovi, licet Jovi! Ili je posrijedi nešto trece?Da se razumijemo. Pitanje je postavljeno u duhu humora, shvacenog kao Âvježbanje paradoksalnog razmišljanja i detroniziranja bilo koje i bilo cije Ânedodirljivosti (str. 226), ili kao Âmentalna gimnastika (str. 223). Uostalom, u demokratskom poretku nije zabranjeno postavljati otvorena pitanja. Dobronamjernost je suvišno isticati. Tome u prilog najbolje bi mogla posvjedociti jedna druga inicijativa, dakako formulirana u obliku ponude Miroslavu Radmanu. Naime, on bi mogao pokušati, naravno ako bi htio, da na stotinu pitanja što se namecu tijekom citanja ove knjige ponudi isto toliko odgovora, ali i više od toga. To bi zasigurno bilo korisno barem iz dva razloga. Prvo, uspostavila bi se neka vrsta interdisciplinarnog dijaloga izmedu jednog izvrsnog, svjetski poznatog molekularnog biologa, s jedne, i jednog zbunjenog i svjetski zainteresiranog teologa, s druge strane. Partnerski dijalog bi mogao imati šire društvene rezonancije. Neka dobronamjerni ljudi citaju, jer knjige ostaju, a ljudi odlaze.Inace, tematiziranu knjigu je uredila, tekstove u knjizi odabrala i predgovor napisala novinarka dnevnika Jutarnji list Tanja Rudež, koja inace revno piše o prirodoznanstvenoj problematici.Tonci Matulic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7706/1/E-Commission-publishes-brochure-of-Croatian-science.html ÂCommission publishes brochure of Croatian science and technology[Date: 2004-08-25]As part of its international scientific cooperation policy activities, the Commission has published a new brochure providing an overview of Croatia's science and technology (S&T) activities and policies. The brochure follows confirmation of the country's EU candidate country status in June. The report states that, in the field of research, Croatia's accession to the EU will not require the adoption of legal provisions, but rather the existence of the necessary conditions for effective participation in the Framework Programmes. According to the 'Strategy for development of science in the Republic of Croatia in the 21st century', radical changes to the Croatian science base are required in order to introduce an S&T system based on the EU model. 'Full participation in the Framework Programmes should be the first step towards the implementation of the aquis [communautaire] in the field of research, and requires the development of research policy, infrastructure and the appropriate institutional set-up,' states the brochure. Croatia's national science and research programme for 1996 to 2000 defined a number of specific and general priorities within six scientific fields: natural sciences, technical sciences, biomedicine, biotechnology, social sciences and humanities. However, the Commission points out that the programme was never fully implemented, and suggests that priorities should be redefined 'in a more rational and systematic manner.' Science and research fall under the responsibility of the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport (MSES). In 2002, the Ministry financed 1,702 projects, the majority of which were curiosity-driven initiatives in the fields of biomedicine, technical and natural sciences. However, the brochure warns that the funding of research and development (R&D) in the country is becoming increasingly restrictive: 'The decline in investment in science, which took place in Croatia particularly during the 1990s, has multiple consequences. [...] Equipment still needs to be modernised further and the inadequate material conditions make [...] research work in some fields difficult. The number of scholars and scientists is also [in] decline.' On a more positive note though, the report states that in terms of international cooperation, 'S&T indicators show that [the] Croatian academic community has [the] potential for larger participation in international programmes.' Progress has also been made in diversifying the sources of research funding in the country, so that in addition to the MSES budget (18.5 million euro in 2002), resources are also made available by regional authorities, municipalities, private companies and other legal entities. Increased links between research institutes, universities and industry are also a new feature of the Croatian S&T landscape, according to the brochure. But if Croatia is to fulfil its potential and become fully integrated into the European Research Area, research investments will have to be spent in a far more efficient manner. In 2003, for example, only 15 per cent of the Ministry's total budget was spent on funding research projects, with the majority being spent on salaries, according to the report.To download the brochure, please consult the following web address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/iscp/pdf/croatia.pdfCategory: PublicationData Source Provider: European CommissionDocument Reference: Based on the brochure 'A new Candidate to EU accession: Croatia S&T developments'Programme or Service Acronym: FRAMEWORK 6C; ERASubject Index : Scientific Research; Policies; Coordination, Cooperation; Economic Aspectshttp://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:22517  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7707/1/H-Tvar-iz-cokolade-usporava-rak-dojke.html ÂHrvatska znanstvenica: Tvar iz cokolade zaustavlja rak dojkeCetvrtak, 17.6.2004 06:38ISTRAZIVANJE hrvatske znastvenice dr. Danice Ramljak koja se u Sjedinjenim Drzavama bavi tumorima dojke pokazalo je da polifenol iz cokolade zaustavlja rast tumorskih stanica dajuci nadu da ce ta tvar moci posluziti za sprjecavanje i lijecenje raka dojke u zena.Istrazivanja Sinjanke dr. Ramljak koje je obavila na Sveucilistu Georgetown u Washingtonu ukazala su da polifenol iz cokolade pentameric procyanidin selektivno prekida rast tumorskih stanica pri tome ne ostecujuci normalne stanice dojke.Dr. Ramljak predstavila je u srijedu svoje istrazivanje vodecim istrazivacima za podrucje tumora na najprestiznijem svjetskom institutu National Institute of Health (NIH) u Bethesdi koji su njegove rezultate ocijenili izvanrednim i obecavajucim.Rezultati dosadasnjih testiranja otvaraju mogucnost koristenja polifenola iz cokolade u sprjecavanju i lijecenju raka dojke u zena, a moguce i nekih drugih vrsta tumora, rekla je za Hinu dr. Ramljak.Rak dojke je medju vodecim tumorima u zena u svijetu i pronalazenje novih nacina njegovog suzbijanja predstavljalo bi za onkologiju veliko postignuce.Dr. Ramljak, koja sada radi na NIH-u, je tijekom dvogodisnjeg istrazivanja na stanicnim linijama tumorskih i normalnih stanica dojke u laboratorijskim uvjetima utvrdila i kako polifenol zaustavlja rast tumorskih stanica dojke.Doprinos dr. Ramljak je u tome sto je prva pokazala da polifenol selektivno djeluje na tumorske stanice i otkrila molekularne mehanizme njegova djelovanja.Ona je pokazala da polifenol iz cokolade djeluje preventivno na gen p53 koji mutira u preko 50 posto ljudskih tumora tako sto sprjecava njegove promjene koje vode nastanku tumora.Polifenoli su tvari koje se nalaze u sastavu cokolade, vina, piva, caja, jabuka i nekih drugih namirnica. Medicina je vec utvrdila njihova ljekovita svojstva u borbi protiv tumora, bolesti srca, nakih virusa i alergija. Tako je nedavno utvrdjeno da polifenol iz crnog vina resveratrol stiti od bolesti srca i nekih vrsta tumora.Nakon prve faze istrazivanja na stanicama uslijedit ce istrazivanje na misevima koji bi trebali pokazati kako polifenol funkcionira u organizmu. Dr. Ramljak kaze da ce u testovima misevima biti induciran tumor, a potom dan polifenol iz cokolade kako bi se vidjelo da li dovodi do smanjivanja tumora. Bit ce provjerene i preventivne mogucnosti polifenola tako sto ce se misevima davati polifenol, a potom i kemijska tvar koja izaziva tumor da bi se vidjelo da li ga sprjecava.Tek nakon toga moze uslijediti i klinicko ispitivanje spasonosnih mogucnosti fenola na ljudima.Dr. Ramljak smatra kako bi polifenol, ukoliko se potvrdi njegova konacna upotrebljivost kod ljudi, najvjerojatnije bio koristen u "koktelu" s drugim ljekovima. Prednost polifenola u odnosu na druge ljekove koji se danas koriste u kemoterapiji raka je u tome sto nije toksican i nema negativnih posljedica poput drugih ljekova.Istrazivanje, koje bi trebalo ukupno trajati tri do cetiri godine, treba rijesiti i problem doze i oblika u kojem bi se polifenol davao ljudima.Dr. Harold Schmitz, znanstveni direktor u americkoj tvrtki Mars, vodecem svjetskom proizvodjacu cokolade, kazao je kako je njegova tvrtka zainteresirana za nastavak istrazivanja i spremna ga financirati.(HINA) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7708/1/E-10-years-of-Internet-in-Croatia.html Â10 years of Internet in Croatia16.July, 2004, Croatian Academic and Research Network- CARNet set an exhibition presenting seven web sites which are the results of the action 10@HR It’s time for Internet. The exhibition is set in Forum Gallery in Zagreb and you can see the web sites via official web page.Actually, we are talking about seven projects offering information referring to culture and health. Although still under construction, web sites offer very interesting information.http://www.10godinainterneta.hr/http://www.metamorphosis.org.mk/eng_vesti_detal.asp?id=140  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 06 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7709/1/HE-Global-biorevolution-in-Croatia-Vrhunska-znanost.html ÂGlobalna Bio-r-evolucija u HrvatskojGlobal Bio-r-evolution in Croatiafor English text scroll down.Hrvatski prirodoznanstvenici aktivno koordiniraju planetarnu bio(r)evolucijuu hotelu 'Croatia', Cavtat: http://dubrovnik2004.epfl.ch/ Prosli tjedan je odrzana vec druga konferencija u seriji''Od fizike kondenziranje materije do zivih sustava'' koja seredovno odrzava svake dvije godine u hotelu 'Croatia' u Cavtatu.Vazna karakteristika konferencije jest da pluri-disciplinarno okupljaoko stotinjak vodecih svjetskih strucnjaka iz fizike, biokemije,genetickog inzenjeringa pa sve do medicinskih metoda, s ciljem davrlo uspjesne metode i modeli fizike sto optimalnije budu koristeniu BIO-revoluciji 21-og stoljeca. Elitni predavaci iz cijelog svijetaprisustvuju uspjesnoj konferenciji koju organiziraju i koordinirajuponajbolji hrvatski strucnjaci iz svijeta i domovine, uz podrsku Minstarstvaznanosti, obrazovanja te nekoliko domacih, svicarskih i svjetskih institucija(vidi web stranicu za detalje)Slikovito govoreci, zamislite da hrvatski strucnjaci vizionarski vode ikoordiniraju razvoj svjetskog nogometa ili npr. poslovodstva. Naravno,to je, na zalost, nemoguce, no u prirodnim znanostima i u bio-izazovimato jest slucaj: mi imamo vrhunske prirodnos-znanstvene strucnjakepo svijetu i u domovini i kroz ovu redovnu konferenciju (i strategiju)oni zajedno sa svjetskim kolegama formuliraju jednu novu vizijubio-znanstvenih prodora i novih tehnologija ovog stoljeca.Pozitivni rezultati ce biti vidljivi dugorocno sto i jest cilje svake istinskeznanosti i planetarno relevantne i ekoloski pozitivne tehnologije.Croatian scientists coordinate global bio(r)evolution in 'Croatia', Cavtathttp://dubrovnik2004.epfl.ch/Last week the 2nd conference in a series 'From Solid State To BioPhysics'took place in Cavtat, with some hundred top experts in physics, biochemistrygenetic engineering, medical research and biology. Such a multi-disciplinaryelite gathering is, for once, organized and coordinated by a groupof Croatian experts, from Croatia proper and abroad; namely, inthese subjects Croatian experts can provide some new vision, leadershipand, together with outstanding foreign colleagues, help shape the ways ofthe planetary future in a galloping bio-medical revolution of the 21st century.It is difficult to convey to the general public the importance of such acoordinated effort of some of the most brilliant minds that regularlymeet, each two years, in hotel 'Croatia' in Cavtat, yet the the positiveresults and impacts will be felt through the whole century as thevery best science and most noble eco-friendly bio-technologies willundoubtedly greatly benefit the whole mankind.Hence it is a great compliment to Croatians and Croatia and Dubrovnik areathat these remarkable strategic efforts continue regularly - in hotel 'Croatia' Cavtat:the future meetings are already scheduled and well beyond 2010:http://dubrovnik2004.epfl.ch/ European Physical Society International Conference,From Solid State To BioPhysics II :Role of Inhomogeneities in Solid, Soft and Bio-MatterJune 26 - July 2, 2004Hotel 'Croatia', Cavtat, Dubrovnik, CroatiaSponsored by:Croatian Ministry of Science and TechnologyOffice of Naval Research (ONR, Washington D.C., USA)Croatia AirlinesOrganization (co-)supported by:Faculty of Science, Zagreb, CroatiaInstitute of Physics, Zagreb, CroatiaRudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Dubrovnik, CroatiaÉcole Polytéchnique Fédérale de Lausanne, SwitzerlandThe Scope of the 2nd ConferenceFollowing the success of the 1st conference in the series, the 2nd conference aimed at the understanding of the living matter which, given its enormous complexity may require some of the techniques at least partly elaborated in solid state physics. The goal of the conference is to focus on the structure - function relationships. The interdisciplinary discussion of some of the leading experts in various subfields will take place in a stimulating, yet relaxed setting. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7711/1/E-Croatian-skeletons-reveal-changing-status-of-cancer-in-Europe.html ÂCroatian skeletons reveal changing status of cancer in Europe across the centuries ÂCancer incidence rates in the developed world are increasing each year and developing countries are also now showing an increased incidence of the disease. But how much were our ancestors affected by the disease? Dr Mario Slaus of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb presented archaeological findings at the 18th Meeting of the European Association of Cancer Research (EACR-18) in Innsbruck today (6 July 2004), suggesting that the disease was very uncommon even in our recent ancestors, reinforcing the concept that cancer is a 'modern' disease and is largely a consequence of the greater longevity we are now experiencing. Dr Slaus and his colleagues1 analysed the skeletal remains of the 3,160 individuals in the Skeletal Collection of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts for evidence of neoplasms (uncontrolled and abnormal tissue growth). The remains in the collection date from 5,300BC to the 19th Century AD and have been collected from archaeological sites across Croatia. Analysis (including gross morphology, X-rays and CT-scans) revealed 4 cases of neoplastic disease in individuals ranging from 3-4 years to 50-60 years of age. All 4 cases involved bone neoplasms (obviously, as bone was the only tissue remaining): two fibrous cortical defects, an osteochondroma and an osteoma. All three conditions were benign, with little potential for malignant transformation. "The low frequency of neoplasms in the Croatian Skeletal Collection is characteristic for archaeological material", said Dr Slaus. "We found no evidence of secondary bone tumours in any individual in the collection, a factor that is probably explained by the fact that the mean age-at-death of the specimens is 35.6 years. Primary malignant and benign tumours of bone are relatively rare, even in young individuals where the incidence of these neoplasms is highest, whilst secondary tumours of bone, although much more common, are associated with older age". Life expectancy in the 21st Century is higher than it has ever been in the past; a consequence of a range of factors such as better nutrition, improved health awareness in the population, better sanitation and more accessible healthcare. However, increased longevity is accompanied by an increased incidence of cancer. The factors most clearly correlated with the development of cancer in the European Union are smoking (estimated to cause 30% of all cancer deaths) and obesity / dietary factors (estimated to be responsible for a further 30% of all cancer deaths) but these factors often take many years to lead to the development of symptomatic tumours, so aging populations naturally show a higher incidence of the disease. "The individuals in the Croatian Skeletal Collection would have been prone to diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis and leprosy (and we found evidence for each of these conditions in individuals in the collection) and these illnesses (and others) would certainly have contributed significantly to mortality in our ancestors", added Dr Slaus. "The change from these 'old' illnesses to 'modern' ones such as cancer can be seen as part of the evolution of our society, but as with the 'old' illnesses we can go some way to combating the 'modern' illness of cancer through educating people about the risks of the disease and encouraging them to adopt a healthy lifestyle", said Dr Slaus. The Croatian Skeletal Collection demonstrates how cancer is, in large part, a consequence of our recently significantly increased life-span, as well as significant changes to our lifestyle. The incidence of cancer we currently have in Europe, and the increasing incidence being seen in the developing world, can be reduced significantly through greater education about the benefits of not smoking tobacco, by encouraging people to eat a diet plentiful in fresh fruit and vegetables, through the promotion of a lifestyle that includes regular exercise and by encouraging people not to drink alcohol to excess.http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-30917.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 06 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7710/1/E-What-will-you-get-in-return-Nothing-Just-the-glory.html ÂCalling scientists back home to Croatia“What will you get in return? Nothing. Just the glory.”Doreen Carvajal International Herald Tribune Tuesday, July 6, 2004 The world's scientists are like a flock of flamingos that migrates from briny lakes when they dry up and returns only when its lagoons are replenished..But last week, hundreds of scientists gathered in the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris to try to analyze their own peculiar migratory patterns..A few years ago, gatherings such as these offered ample opportunity to bemoan the flight of bright researchers to enticing jobs across the Atlantic in the United States. Yet now the debate has clearly shifted from worrying about brain drain to brainstorming about practical strategies to “circulate” researchers between nations..Finland, Italy and Poland are subsidizing networking systems to build ties with their expatriate scientists. The European Union also announced the start of an online “mobility portal” along with centers in 33 countries offering expatriate researchers and their families customized assistance to ease the return home..Last fall, Croatia's government handed over the keys to Villa Dalmatia, the opulent former summer residence of Marshal Tito on the Adriatic coast, to create a new biological research institution called the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences. The country has already spent E1.7 million, or $2 million, to restore the former Yugoslav leader's house and a cloister-like soldier barracks that will house a new laboratory..All of these projects are tentative first steps to match the temptations of laboratories that gleam with the promise of research and development funding, access to leading technologies and a critical mass of creative research institutions..In Croatia, the task has fallen to Miroslav Radman to raise a E100 million endowment to create a seaside resort of ideas in his hometown of Silt, an ancient Roman city..Radman, 60, is a popular figure in Croatia, but has spent most of his career in France, where he leads a team of 25 scientists at the Necker Institute in Paris involved in research on the human genome project and HIV/$ AIDS..“I'm doing this to create a space where the quality of the workplace and life is the level of the best," said Radman, who wants to develop a freewheeling new institute like Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, which drew many of the world's molecular biology pioneers in the mid-20th century and nurtured a new field..“Some say I'm totally crazy," Radman said. "It's meant to be a place that should become a factory of new projects, of new ideas.”.Last week he returned from the United States, where he was wooing wealthy Croatian immigrants to back the project..“I'm trying to tempt them to play the role of Croatian Rockefellers or the Medicis of Florence," he said. The sales pitch isn't flowery: “What will you get in return? Nothing. Just the glory.”.It's pretty much the same message that Antonio Giordano is using with Italian expatriates are donating some of their wealth to cancer research..Giordano, 40, is a scientist and a native of Naples, Italy, who is experimenting with his own laboratory to build links between his home and homeland with exchanges between postdoctoral students and researchers. He is a professor of pathology at the University of Siena and the director of the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at Temple University..Giordano promotes his adopted home, Philadelphia, with the buoyant enthusiasm of a state governor, right down to offering to search for a cheese steak in Paris..He's still not convinced that enough money and attention have been devoted to research in Europe to persuade scientists to circulate home..As he points out, this is a problem that scientists have lived with for decades..The invention of the first phonograph, for instance, is usually credited to Thomas Edison, but the first to create a workable design was Charles Cros, a Parisian who delivered plans for a paléophone that would use discs to the French Academy of Sciences in 1877..Cros lost the competition and the glory to Edison partly for prosaic reasons. His rich patron withdrew his funding and he couldn't find another Medici to help build his dream..Doreen Carvajal can be reached atdcarvajal@iht.com Copyright  2004 the International Herald Tribune All Rights Reservedhttp://www.iht.com/articles/528160.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 06 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7712/1/E-From-Solid-State-To-BioPhysics-II.html ÂFrom Solid State To BioPhysics II International ConferenceFrom Solid State To BioPhysics II :Role of Inhomogeneities in Solid, Soft and Bio-MatterJune 26 - July 2, 2004 Hotel 'Croatia', Cavtat, Dubrovnik, Croatia Sponsored by:Croatian Ministry of Science and TechnologyOffice of Naval Research (ONR, Washington D.C., USA)Croatia Airlines Organization (co-)supported by:Faculty of Science, Zagreb, CroatiaInstitute of Physics, Zagreb, CroatiaRudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Dubrovnik, CroatiaÉcole Polytéchnique Fédérale de Lausanne, SwitzerlandCo-chairs:László Forró and Davor PavunaÉcole Polytéchnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Switzerland Conference Secretary:Mme Monique Bettinger, EPFL (monique.bettinger@epfl.ch) More information on registration & travelOn-line abstract submission Download accommodation-registration form International Advisory Committee:D. Andelman* (Tel Aviv)W. Ansorge (Heidelberg)N. W. Ashcroft* (Ithaca)S. Barisic (Zagreb)A. Bishop (Los Alamos)N. Ban* (Zürich)I. Bozovic (Brookhaven)S. Catsicas* (Lausanne)C.W. Paul Chu* (Houston)A. Fersht (Cambridge)P.G. de Gennes (Paris)I. Giaver (Troy)A. Heeger* (Santa Barbara)J. Herak (Zagreb)A. Jánossy (Budapest)K. Kern (Stuttgart)C.W. Li (Hsinchu)S. Marcelja (Zagreb & Canberra)G. Margaritondo (Lausanne)M. Milun (Zagreb)K.A. Müller (Zürich)P. Perfetti* (Roma)J.C. Phillips (Piscataway)Y.W. Park* (Seoul)D. Pines (Urbana)R. Podgornik (Ljubljana)J. Prost (Paris)M. Radman (Paris)R. Schrieffer (Tallahassee)A. Sienkiewicz (Warsaw)S. Takada (Kobe)M. Thorpe (Tempe)F.Vidal (Santiago)S. A. Wolf* (Alexandria) * did not confirm yet Invited Speakers (incomplete list):In addition to the members of the Advisory Committee, there is a number of very distinguished speakers: P. Basserau (Paris)E. Ben-Jacob* (Tel Aviv)A. Bianconi (Rome)A. Bilusic (Split)P. Boolchand (Cincinnati)A. Bussmann-Holder (Stuttgart)F. Brochard* (Paris)M. Calame (Basel) G. Cappello (Paris)P. Carloni (Trieste)M. Chergui (Lausanne)G. Colombetti (Pisa)S. Conradson (Los Alamos)A. Criscenti (Roma) G. Csanyi (Cambridge)G. Cuniberti (Regensburg)J.S. Davis* (Ithaca)W. Daggett (Seattle)P. De Los Rios (Lausanne)G. Deutscher (Tel Aviv)G. Dietler (Lausanne)M. Dove (Cambridge)A. Dulcic (Zagreb)W.A. Eaton* (Bethseda)P. Fazekas (Budapest)R. di Felice (Modena)E.-L. Florin* (Austin)L. Gorkov* (Talahassee)B. de Groot (Goettingen) R. Gruetter (Lausanne)M. Hadzija (Zagreb)K. Holczer (Los Angeles)J. Hudspeth* (New York)C. Huebner (Halle) Y. Hwu (Taipei)J.H. Je* (Pohang)S. Jeney (Lausanne)J. Jung (Edmonton)E. Kapon (Lausanne)J. Karpinski (Zurich)S. Kasas (Lausanne)D. Kern (Waltham)V. Kresin* (Berkeley)K. Kruse (Dresden)L. Kuhn* (San Diego)G. Le Lay (Marseille)A. Libchaber (New York) G. Lucovsky* (Raleigh)D. Marsh (Goetingen) G. Menestrina (Trento)C. Micheletti (Trieste)D. Mihailovic (Ljubljana)D. Mijatovic (Enschede) L. Mihaly (Stony Brook)N. Mousseau (Montreal)I. Mrkonjic (Zagreb)C. Morais-Smith (Fribourg)P. Ormos (Szeged)B. Patterson* (Villingen)M. Paulmichl (Milano)S. Parkin* (Almaden)A. Peres (Varese)G. Pifat-Mrzljak (Zagreb)J. Plastino (Paris)M. Prester (Zagreb)Z. Radovic (Belgrade)R. Rigler (Stockholm)N. Rozlosnik (Risoe)J. Ryan* (Oxford)J.F. Sadoc* (Orsay)P.L. San Biagio (Palermo) Ch. Schoenenberger (Basel)A. Schueler* (Lausanne)K. Sekimoto (Strassbourg)F. Seno (Padova)E. Shakhnovich* (Cambridge)S. Shenoy (Trieste)J. Spatz* (Heidelberg)A. Stasiak* (Lausanne)O. Steinbock (Tallahassee)W.-D. Schneider (Lausanne)P. Soukiassian (Saclay)G. di Stasio (Madison)P. W. Stephens* (Stony Brook)B. Subotic (Zagreb)V. Svetlicic (Zagreb)F. Taddei (Paris)G. Tiana (Milano)S. Tomic (Zagreb)E. Tutis (Zagreb)J.-M. Triscone* (Geneva)T. Valla (Brookhaven)I. Vobornik* (Trieste)H. Vogel* (Lausanne)P. Wolynes* (San Diego)* did not confirm yet The Scope of the 2nd ConferenceFollowing the success of the 1st conference in the series, the 2nd conference still aims at the understanding of the living matter which, given its enormous complexity may require some of the techniques at least partly elaborated in solid state physics. The goal of the conference is to focus on the structure - function relationships. The interdisciplinary discussion of some of the leading experts in various subfields will take place in a stimulating, yet relaxed setting. Deadlines Abstracts: 20th May 2004 Registration : 31st May 2004 Further information:monique.bettinger@epfl.chÂWebmaster:B. Lukic (Lausanne) http://dubrovnik2004.epfl.ch/  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7714/1/E-Bozidar-Benc---Interview-Aug-28-2001.html ÂBozidar BencÂÂBozidar Benc Interview [08/28/2001 21:27]http://www.pocketgoddess.com/features/ Pocket Goddess Interview: Mr. Bozidar Benc, of Pop-Up FameI am very pleased to present this interview with Bozidar Benc. If you've been using a Palm OS handheld for any time at all, you've probably come across some of his very popular programs. Launcher III is the first one that comes to mind, but that is no means Mr. Benc's only creation. He also created all of the Pop-Up programs that make using your handheld so much more efficient, as well as several other Palm OS gems. First the interview, then I'll talk a little more about some of my favorite Benc programs.Discuss this interview in the PocketGoddess Forums!Please tell us a bit more about yourself. I'm 45, and I live in Slavonski Brod(Croatia),a small town 200 km east from Zagreb (Croatian capital). I'm married and have two daughters, 15 and 20 years old. My hobbies were always of technical nature - ham radio, rocket modelling, astronomy (I have two telescopes - 8" home made reflector, and 4" SCT). My first computer was also home made. That was Z80 system with 2 Kb of ROM and 2Kb of RAM memory. It didn't look very nice, but it worked. :-) How did you get your start in Palm programming? I've got Pilot 5000 as a gift from a customer, at the beginning of the 1997. I was delighted. Shopping in Hungary was very popular at that time, but it was quite complicated to calculate the relationship between Croatian and Hungarian currencies - I had to first buy DEM in Croatia, and then use those DEM to buy Forints in Hungary. :-) So, I start learning how to write programs for my new toy. The result was Currency Calculator, which was among the first 100 applications ever written for the Pilot. At that time Kenny West was starting with the Pilot Gear. We exchanged a couple of messages and then I decided to offer CurrCalc to the market. Kenny even allowed me to use some space on his web server for my own web pages! In fact, he is the one to whom I must say a big thanks, because without his support, I would not be what I am now. Is it something that you do on the side, or has it become a full-time job for you? Programming for the Palm OS is my full-time job in the last two years (or a bit more), but it's still a hobby. Were you surprised by the success and glowing reviews that your products have received from Palm users all over the world? Yes, I was surprised, and I was very glad. :-) You've written a large number of Palm OS programs. Which one is your favorite, and why? You can guess that the answer on such a question is hard. If you ask me which one I'm using the most, then the answer is easy - PopUp Favorites. I use it many times each day.However, my real favorite is PopUp Names. I use it a lot myself, and it is very popular. And there is PopUp Calculator. Its popularity motivated me to dedicate myself completely to the Palm OS programming. I must not forget the Currency Calculator. I would say that it's still the most powerful combination of calculator and universal unit converter. Why did you make Launcher III freeware, when you could easily charge $10 or more for a license? I just feel that it wouldn't be right if I charge anything for the Launcher III. That's because the whole idea is not mine - we all must thank Eric Kenslow for the great idea. Any plans to release apps for the PocketPC? I was thinking about the PPC quite a while ago, but those devices are extremely expensive here, in Croatia, and I'm afraid that the market is not wide enough. What sorts of surprises can we expect from Benc Software Productions in the future? If I tell you that, then it won't be a surprise any more. :-) Thank you very much for your kind assistance. I'm sure our readers are excited to know a bit more about the man of "Pop-Up Fame." Pocket Goddess PicksI was fortunate enough to be able to try out some of Boizdar Benc's Palm OS applications while I was getting this interview together, and I must say I agree with Mr. Benc when he said that it was hard for him to pick a favorite. I would have to say though that I simply couldn't live without Launcher III, the freeware launcher replacement. After using it for any length of time, it's impossible to go back to the standard Palm OS launcher. That could have something to do with the unique tabbed interface, which saves a lot of time going from one program to another. Or it could have something to do with the way that it replaced several other Palm utilities with the little gadgets that are included. There's a trash can for deleting files, and an "info" icon that I can drag any program to in order to get information about its size, creator, etc. I can also drag a program to the little beaming icon at the bottom to send it to a friend with a single tap. The lock is a quick way to turn off and lock my Palm, without having to make that long Graffiti stroke up the screen. And of course the battery voltage meter and the ability to see how much memory I have left at a glance are also extremely useful. I can't overlook the PopUp programs though- they are all simply brilliant. You'll need XMaster (freeware), TealMaster (shareware), or HackMaster (shareware) to use them, and it will take a little time to set up the activation strokes to suit you, but the investment is well worth it. PopUp Calculator can be used in any application, so you can settle the lunch bill in just a second while you are actually in the Palm Datebook setting up your next appointment. You can copy and paste your results in any application as well. PopUp Time gives you a very nice clock and date display that is available in any application as well, and it also shows you your battery voltage and free menory at a glance. It includes a tools menu that allows you to copy the time and date if you need to quickly time stamp an entry in the MemoPad, and it also lets you view a monthly calendar. Two last PopUp programs that I would strongly encourage you to try are PopUp Memo, which gives you one stroke access to a quick entry Memo Pad screen, and PopUpFreeTime, which lets you see your weekly schedule at a glance and quickly see which time slots you have available. Write in the proper text, tap a time slot, and the appointment is scheduled just like that! The programs that I mentioned are just a sample of what's available at Benc Software Production. The prices are very reasonable, you can try before you buy, and best of all, they add a great deal of functionality to your Palm OS device. Take my advice: try out a few of Mr. Benc's programs, register them, and help suport one of the Palm OS platform's best shareware developers. http://www.pocketgoddess.com/features/  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7715/1/E-Croatian-Scientists-Work-on-The-Bends---Diving.html ÂCroatian Scientists Work on The Bends - in DivingThe following appeared in The New Scientist magazine. John Kraljic***************************************************Diver's pill could fend off the bends17:11 26 March 04Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition. Within a decade, divers will be able to take a pill that allows them to stay under water longer without risking decompression sickness when they get to the surface. That is the prediction of a team that thinks it has stumbled across a totally new way of preventing the bends.The risk of the bends severely limits how long divers breathing compressed air can stay under water without having to make decompression stops on the way back up. At 30 metres, the safe period is just 20 minutes.Higher pressures at depth force nitrogen from the air in divers' lungs into their blood and other tissues. If they come up too quickly the decrease in pressure causes bubbles to form, just as they do in champagne when the cork is popped. Effects range from skin rashes to death.A team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim set out to investigate anecdotal reports that being fitter reduces a diver's chances of getting the bends.The team's animal studies showed fitness above a basic level made little difference, but that a bout of intense exercise around 20 hours before a simulated dive in a pressure chamber dramatically reduced bubble formation. "It was an accidental discovery," says team member Alf Brubakk.Micro bubblesA burst of exercise seems to work for people, too. Researchers at the University of Split School of Medicine in Croatia asked 12 male divers to do two simulated dives to 18 metres for 80 minutes. They exercised on a treadmill for 40 minutes 24 hours before one of the dives.Ultrasound imaging of the heart and arteries revealed that the average number of bubbles fell from 0.98 per cubic centimetre of blood on the first dive to 0.22 on the dive after exercise. The bubbles were also much smaller.The researchers think the exercise session works by eliminating microbubbles, or nuclei, that seed the formation of larger bubbles in the blood. Other work suggests that these microbubbles are attached to the walls of blood vessels, and exercise is known to stimulate the release of nitric oxide (NO), which not only dilates blood vessels but changes their surface properties, making them more slippery.It is too early to recommend exercise, stresses Zeljko Dujic, head of the Croatian team. "Divers should wait for further studies," he says. And even if it does prove effective and divers are willing to make the effort, exercising in a narrow window of time around 20 hours before each dive is unlikely to be practical.Totally novelBut if the Norwegian team's theory is right, it might be possible to give divers drugs to mimic the effect of exercise.In fact, the team has now shown that giving mice an NO-releasing drug, or NO itself, reduces bubble formation. All the latest results appear in The Journal of Physiology (vol 555, p 588, p 637 and p 825)."This is a totally novel approach," says Brubakk. Until now, all the ways of preventing the bends, such as staying within safe limits, ascending in stages or breathing gas mixtures with less nitrogen, have been designed to limit or reduce the levels of nitrogen in the body. But if you can get rid of the nuclei, bubbles cannot form even when the blood is supersaturated with nitrogen.A drug that helps prevent the bends could be used simply to make diving safer. Some divers get decompression sickness even when they stay within recommended limits.But Brubakk thinks such a drug would allow divers to go deeper or stay down longer. "It's not dangerous if you can prevent bubble formation," he says. A drug would not prevent bubbles forming in other tissues such as cartilage, he admits, but it is in the blood that bubbles cause the most serious forms of decompression sickness.Many questions remain to be answered, though. Other researchers say it is plausible that exercise helps eliminate microbubbles, but question whether NO production is really the main factor.Michael Le Page© Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 27 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7713/1/H-PROJEKT-POVRATKA-HRVATSKIH-ZNANSTVENIKA.html ÂPRIMORAC: PROJEKT POVRATKAHRVATSKIH ZNANSTVENIKA IZ INOZEMSTVA U DOMOVINU ZAPRAVO JE POVIJESTAN(Hina)Projekt povratka hrvatskih znanstvenika iz inozemstva u domovinu, za koji je nedavno Svjetska banka Hrvatskoj odobrila zajam od 35 milijuna kuna, ministar znanosti, obrazovanja i športa Dragan Primorac smatra zapravo povijesnim i tvrdi da ce se svaka kuna samo za to potrošiti, te istice da je hrvatskim znanstvenicima diljem svijeta vec poslao poruku da "krenu u bitku za povratak kako bi ostavili 'trag' u domovini". Ministar Primorac potporu za stajalište da je rijec o povijesnom projektu pronalazi i u cinjenici da je odobravanje tog zajma zapravo bio i odreden presedan za Svjetsku banku jer je u tom slucaju nacinila nevjerojatno brzu evaluaciju. U razgovoru za Hinu, u kojemu je iscrpnije govorio o projektu povratka hrvatskih znanstvenika iz inozemstva u domovinu, Primorac je objasnio da je Svjetska banka u slucaju odobravanja tog zajma nacinila nevjerojatno kratku i brzu evaluaciju.Jer, podsjetio je Primorac, ako, primjerice, pogledate da su za zajmove koje je Svjetska banka dosad odobrila nekoj hrvatskoj instituciji bile potrebne oko dvije i pol godine, u posljednjem slucaju to je ucinila za nešto manje od tri mjeseca.To je pak Primorcu i potvrda da je Svjetska banka ocijenila da oni koji su tražili takav zajam zapravo znaju što cine i kako ce "vratiti" hrvatske znanstvenike u domovinu.Rok za odobreni zajam od pet milijuna americkih dolara zapravo je "otvoren", ali, kako je rekao Primorac, vec je poslao "snažnu poruku hrvatskim znanstvenicima diljem svijeta da svi zajedno krenemo u bitku da se najbolji ljudi iz inozemstva vrate u domovinu".Kako je istaknuo, porucio je "hrvatskim znanstvenicima da najboljima medu sobom predlože da se vrate u Hrvatsku", a on ce kao ministar, dodao je, znanstvenicima-povratnicima koji budu predložili projekte dati novcanu potporu, osigurati im mjesto gdje ce raditi i, što je posebice važno, znanstvene novake koji ce s njima suradivati na projektima. To pak znaci, ustvrdio je Primorac, da više nema izgovora za znanstvenike da se ne mogu vratiti. Istaknuo je da je hrvatskim znanstvenicima koji rade izvan domovine porucio kako je "konacno došao trenutak da vlastitim djelom ostave 'trag' u domovini". Buduci da je zajam tek odobren, rekao je da se još ne može reci kako ce se on sukcesivno trošiti. Znanstveniku koji, primjerice, želi raditi izvan Zagreba ili Splita ministar Primorac spreman je dati dvostruki novcani iznos od traženoga. On smatra da se i u manjim mjestima mogu ostvariti sjajni uvjeti za tehnologijski projekt - malu biotehnološku korporaciju. Projekt povratka hrvatskih znanstvenika iz inozemstva u domovinu ministar Primorac nedavno je predstavio i na Rektorskome zboru u Zadru, održanom u povodu prve obljetnice rada obnovljenoga Sveucilišta u Zadru. Spomenuo je i projekt koji se ostvaruje u suradnji sa Svjetskom bankom - tzv. japansku darovnicu, kojom je Hrvatska posredstvom japanske države od Svjetske banke dobila više od 766 tisuca americkih dolara.Takva darovnica, rekao je, u nacelu je namijenjena samo onim državama za koje je Svjetska banka procijenila da su spremne pokrenuti reforme. Tako je, dodao je, Svjetska banka nacinila evaluaciju našega projekta i zakljucila da je Hrvatska spremna poceti reformu školstva.Darovnica obuhvaca sve elemente i pripremu, koji ce u konacnici pokrenuti reformu, a namijenjena je evaluaciji sadašnjeg stanja, kadrovskom popunjavanju, prijedlozima i procjenama koliko bi, primjerice, u našem konkretnom slucaju trebao trajati katalog znanja i kakav bi on trebao biti, te kakav bi trebao biti projekt novoga nastavnog programa utemeljen na tom katalogu znanja. Osim toga, taj je novac namijenjen i prosudbi naše vizije kako bismo pokrenuli projekt evaluacije nastave sa strucnim skupinama u kojima mogu biti i vanjski suradnici, a posebice je važno osigurati neprekidnu izobrazbu nastavnika.Dakle, istaknuo je Primorac, predstavnici Svjetske banke rekli su sljedece - nas zanima da vi u Hrvatskoj sastavite predprojekt i sve što je nužno za pokretanje reforme. Ministra Primorca posebice veseli to što je rijec o bespovratnom novcu, zbog cega je donatore trebalo uvjeriti da doista imamo viziju te, što je osobito važno, ljude koji su je sposobni ostvariti. Nakon što su razgovarali s vecinom dužnosnika u hrvatskim državnim službama, a i sa mnom više puta, predstavnici Svjetske banke zakljucili su da smo spremni, rekao je Primorac i najavio da ce vec sljedeci tjedan biti zaposlena prva osoba zadužena za taj projekt.Po preporukama Svjetske banke, medu strucnjacima bi obvezno trebali biti oni koji briljantno poznaju medunarodno pravo, financije te operativni dio posla vezan uz taj projekt.Primorac smatra da je darovnica posebice važna ako znamo da tog novca jednostavno nema u proracunu. Spomenuo je da je taj novac i jamstvo da on kao ministar sa strucnim suradnicima može razgovarati o poslu i platiti im za ono što su ucinili.Ministar je podsjetio da je i dio novca iz proracuna namijenjen tom projektu, dodajuci da sada, zahvaljujuci i darovnici, zapravo pripremamo kvalitetnu reformu hrvatskoga školstva. Ipak, ustvrdio je, treba biti vrlo oprezan jer cemo tek nakon prve faze, u koju ce se uložiti novac te darovnice i dio novca iz proracuna, znati "cijelu situaciju".A buduci da, kako je rekao, nije samo osoba koja se previše uzdaje u procjenu stanja i analizu, ministar Primorac istaknuo je da usporedno želi raditi na toj reformi i pokrenuti reformski sustav. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 27 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7716/1/E-DNA-testing-refutes-Neanderthal-ancestry.html ÂDNA testing refutes Neanderthal ancestryThe team, from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia and Sweden tested mitochondrial DNALEIPZIG, Germany, March 16 (UPI) -- DNA analysis by researchers across Europe have yielded the best evidence yet Neanderthals made no significant genetic contributions to modern humans.The findings may help settle an ongoing debate on whether Homo neanderthalensis interbred enough with Homo sapiens when they coexisted -- from about 100,000 to 150,000 years ago -- to contribute to the modern human gene pool, said the researchers.The team, from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia and Sweden, tested mitochondrial DNA from 24 Neanderthal and 40 early modern human remains. The mtDNA, as it is called, is transferred only from mother to child.Despite the ages of the fossils, the researchers found four of the Neanderthals and five of the early humans contained enough mtDNA for comparison.Neanderthals lived roughly 150,000 to 30,000 years ago in Europe, parts of Asia and the Middle East. Modern-day humans arose between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago.http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040316-104627-4669r.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7717/1/E-Silvia-Bilokapic-Receives-Unesco-LOreal-Fellowship.html ÂSilvia Bilokapic Receives Unesco/L'Oreal FellowshipEurope & North AmericaCroatia: Silvia Bilokapic - Molecular BiologyRomania: Elena Luminita Bradatan - Medicine/OncologyTurkey: Semra Aygun - Molecular Biology LatinAttention News Editors:L'OREAL and UNESCO Making a Real Difference for Women ScientistsWorldwide2004 "FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE" AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS ANNOUNCEDFive outstanding world-class women scientists named L'OREAL-UNESCOLaureates in recognition of their contribution to scientificresearch.Fifteen promising young researchers around the world, the futurescientific leaders of tomorrow, receive Fellowships to carry outpromising international research projects. Two will pursue their research projects in Canada by joining the Montreal McGill University and the Quebec Laval Universitylaboratories in August 2004.MONTREAL, March 8 /CNW Telbec/ - L'OREAL and UNESCO announced todaythe five Award Laureates, one from each continent, and fifteen Fellowshipbeneficiaries of the 2004 "For Women in Science" program.The L'OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science partnership, now in itssixth edition, is a unique example of how the private sector and anintergovernmental institution can work together to recognize theachievements of women scientists and raise the profile of women in science globally.Since the program's creation in 1998, 91 women scientists from 45 countriesacross the world have been recognized for excellence in research or receivedencouragement to pursue their careers.The L'OREAL-UNESCO Award Laureates, women who work across thespectrum of Life Sciences from cellular biology to immunology and diseaseprevention, were selected on the basis of their groundbreaking achievements and potentialcontributions to scientific progress. The Laureates receive individualawards of $100,000. More than 800 prominent scientists from around the world nominatedthe candidates. The Award Laureates were then selected by an internationaljury of 15 eminent members of the scientific community, led by Christian deDuve, Nobel Prize in Medicine and Founding President of the Awards.The 2004 Award Laureates, one from each continent, who have ledscientific advances in fields as diverse as T-Cell research,agricultural productivity, neuroscience, genetics and parasitic disease, are:- Africa - Jennifer Thomson (South Africa): "For her development oftransgenic plants resistant to viral infections, drought, and otherrisks."- Asia-Pacific - Nancy Ip (China): "For her discoveries on the molecularcontrol of growth, differentiation, and synapse formation in thenervous system."- Europe - Christine Petit (France): "For her elucidation of thegenetic defects in hereditary deafness and other sensory disorders."- Latin America - Lucia Mendonça Previato (Brazil): "For herachievements in the understanding, treatment and prevention ofChagas disease."- North America - Philippa Marrack (USA): "For her characterizationof the functions of T lymphocytes in immunity and the discovery of superantigens."There is a long-standing imbalance between men and women in scientificresearch. Women not only remain under-represented in scientific professions,but those women who do enter the field often find that they receive lesssupport and fewer promotions than their male peers, resulting in a lossfor society in general. According to the Greenfield Report 2002 (commissioned by the UKgovernment), fewer than ten percent of senior scientific researchpositions in any country are held by women.New research from UNESCO's Institute of Statistics (based in Montréal,Canada) reinforces these findings by comparing the percentages of womenwith undergraduate, masters and postgraduate degrees in science andtechnology (S&T) in about 70 countries. For example, in Japan, 18 percent of S&Tpostgraduates are women and the figures fall to 15 percent in New Zealandcompared to 38 percent in Turkey. While these low rates are the norm, thereare some startling exceptions, particularly in Latin America, where women makeup 60 percent of S&T postgraduates in El Salvador and 59 percent inArgentina. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001181/118131e.pdfAt the same time as the Awards, the 15 UNESCO-L'OREAL Fellows for2004 were also announced. The Fellowship beneficiaries, promising young womenscientists, receive grants of $20,000 each to support research projectsthat they will conduct at major academic centers around the world at thedoctorate or post-doctorate level.The UNESCO-L'OREAL Fellowships encourage promising young womenscientists to pursue their research in laboratories outside their country oforigin. The fifteen 2004 fellows (three each from these regions: Africa, ArabStates, Asia & the Pacific, Europe & North America, and Latin America & theCaribbean) were chosen by the Fellowship Selection Committee in Paris from among thecandidates proposed by UNESCO National Commissions. Two of them willpursue their research projects in Canada this summer. Maria Teresa Abreu willjoint the Laval University Medical Biology Department and Infectious DiseaseCenter, and Ghinwa Naja will joint the McGill University Chemical Engineering Department.AfricaMauritius: Bibi Rehana Jauhangeer - Molecular MicrobiologyNigeria: Maryam Aminu - VirologyU.R. of Tanzania: Blandina Lugendo - Marine BiologyArab StatesLebanon: Ghinwa Naja - Physical ChemistrySyrian Arab Republic: Mouna Al-Sabbagh - BiotechnologyYemen: Salwa Hamid Al Khayat - MicrobiologyAsia & the PacificNew Zealand: Diana Webster - Medical ScienceIndonesia: Ines Atmosukarto - MicrobiologyPakistan: Farzana Shaheen - ChemistryEurope & North AmericaCroatia: Silvia Bilokapic - Molecular BiologyRomania: Elena Luminita Bradatan - Medicine/OncologyTurkey: Semra Aygun - Molecular Biology LatinAmerica & the CaribbeanArgentina: Maria Laura Guichon - EcologyMexico: Rosa Estela Navarro - Developmental BiologyVenezuela: Maria Teresa Abreu - Cellular BiologyLocal InitiativesIn addition to the 2004 Laureates and Fellows, the program "ForWomen in Science" is active throughout the year. In cooperation with UNESCONational Commissions, L'Oréal subsidiaries around the world have establishednational initiatives as offshoots of the international program. These includenational fellowships for women scientists in their countries, educational ormentoring programmes to introduce young women and girls to careers in science, aswell as related conferences and seminars.In Canada a national program called "Mentorship for Science" wasdevelop jointly between L'OREAL CANADA, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO andActua, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the scientific andtechnical literacy of young Canadians. This mentorship program, launched lastspring, will partner leading women scientists, such as the FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCElaureates, with young Canadian girls in order to stimulate and encouragethese young girls to pursue careers in science. In December 2003, CanadiansSari Van Anders and Sophie Breton were awarded by UNESCO and L'OREAL CANADA fortheir academic skills and promising research projects.www.forwomeninscience.com Note to Editors:L'Oréal is the world's number one cosmetics company, present in 130countries worldwide. Nearly 2,900 people work in L'Oréal's fourteenresearchcenters in France, Asia and America, which are responsible for theregistration of over 500 patents annually. 55 % are women - a percentageunmatched anywhere else in the industry (www.loreal.com).Since its creation in 1945, UNESCO has been dedicated to eliminatingall forms of discrimination and promoting gender equality. While designingscience education programmes specifically for girls, UNESCO has set up a seriesof academic chairs to linking women scientists around the world. TheOrganization is also developing new indicators to measure women's access toscientific training and to help develop appropriate policies in its 190 MemberStates( www.unesco.org/science/women ).For further information: or to arrange interviews with the laureates andfellows: Media Relations Agency, RUDER FINN, Mai TRAN; FrédériqueIMPENNATI; +33 (0)1 56 81 15 00, Fax: +33 (0)1 43 25 06 06,mtran@ruderfinn.fr ;fimpennati@ruderfinn.fr ; UNESCO, Press Service, +33 (0)1 45 68 17 48,Fax: +33 (0)1 45 68 56 52, www.unesco.org ; L'OREAL, Direction of Partnerships& Philanthropy, + 33 (0)1 47 56 42 55, Fax. + 33 (0)1 47 56 42 59,Fwis-infos@dgc.loreal.com ; L'OREAL, Corporate Press Service, +33 (0)1 4756 41 95, Fax: +33 (0)1 47 56 40 54, press@loreal.com , www.loreal.com ;L'OREAL CANADA, Corporate Communications, Nadine Lajoie, (514) 287-4613,nlajoie@ca.loreal.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 09 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7718/1/E-Croatian-Professor-in-Houston-Works-on-Heart-Research.html ÂProfessor hopes to help heart patients like her late fatherÂThe following story appeared on the web page of News 24 Houston, a localall news television station in Houston, Texas. John KraljicProfessor hopes to help heart patients like her late father3/1/2004 6:06:55 PMBy: Kristi NakamuraStent grafts can help heart patients.University of Houston Math Professor Suncica Canic lost her father to anabdominal aortic aneurysm. That's when a bulge in the abdominal artery bursts, often causing sudden death.She says he was too old to undergo the surgery that would have savedhim, and at that time in Croatia where he lived, there was nonon-surgical alternative."I felt guilty about not learning more, not knowing more about that atthat time," said Canic.After her father's death, Canic began talking with Dr. Zvonimir Krajcerat the Texas Heart Institute. He explained to her how stents could beinserted by catheter to help patients like her father.A stent is a mesh-like tube inserted at the site of the aneurysm to keepit from bursting. But Canic soon learned that even treatment with stentswas far from perfect."Some of the stent grafts have shown -- over longer periods of time --certain concerns and problems as far as its durability is concerned, andsome of those were related to design," said Dr. Krajcer."I saw that there are very little input from bioengineering, mathematicsor numerical simulations, and I thought that we could help out indesigning cardiovascular procedures and in designing optimal stents,"said Canic.Even though it was too late to save her father, Canic saw an opportunityto help others like him. She formed an interdisciplinary collaborativewith cardiologists from Texas Heart Institute and an engineer from UTAustin."They have helped us in designing a mathematical model to mimic thefunctions of certain stent grafts and predict any problems that mightoccur just on the basis of structural properties of those stent grafts,"said Dr. Krajcer.Canic says through the model they have been able to develop a design fora mathematically optimal stent. She says an optimal stent should moreclosely mimic the pulse of a healthy artery and therefore reducecomplications.She says hopefully that will save lives, and she'd like to think thatwould have made her father proud.Doctors say stents are also used to treat coronary artery disease. Theyare inserted into blocked arteries to keep them open.Copyright © 2004 TWEAN d.b.a. News 24 Houston letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 04 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7543/1/H-Dr-Pavuna-Deset-posto-kako-bismo-pokrenuli-Hrvatsku.html  DR. DAVOR PAVUNA U Hrvatskoj svi znaju za neke nogometase, a nitko nema pojma da su, primjerice, na Institutu za fiziku razvili najbolji septometar na svijetuTreba nam deset posto 'borbeno spremnih'ljudi kako bismo pokrenuli Hrvatsku VJESNIK,  Nedjelja, 11. sijecnja 2004. 'Pokusat cemo udruziti sve hrvatske strucnjake po svijetu i u domovini i gotovo sam siguran da ce ministar prihvatiti moj prijedlog o povecanju postotka inzenjerskobiotehnoloskih strucnjaka, sustavno slanje odabranih u tzv. centre moci, te jacanje uloge juzne Hrvatske, tocnije Splita, jer mi se cini da je previse 'znanja' centrirano u Zagrebu. Potrebna nam je jasna nacionalna vizija i konsenzus kakvu zemlju zelimo, koji se nece mijenjati nakon svakih izbora. Neke bih ljude vratio u Hrvatsku, Cak se usudim tvrditi da ce na nasim strucnjacima iz dijaspore Hrvatska zaraditi ako ce ih znati koristiti', kaze dr. PavunaOtkad je novi predsjednik hrvatske Vlade Ivo Sanader najavio posvecivanje vise pozornosti znanosti te akademika Miroslava Radmana imenovao Vladinim savjetnikom za znanost, o znanosti se u javnosti ne prestaje govoriti. Tko bi se sve mogao naci uz prof. Radmana koji ce HDZ-ovu Vladu savjetovati u kojem smjeru treba ici domaca nam znanost?Jedan od strucnjaka koje je Radman pozvao iz dijaspore kako bi pomogli u osmisljavanju nove strategije znanstvenog razvoja, jest i dr. Davor Pavuna, ugledni znanstvenik koji zivi i radi u Svicarskoj. Dr. Pavuna doktorirao je 1982. fiziku u Engleskoj, a nakon tri godine istrazivanja u Nacionalnom centru za znanstvena istrazivanja u Grenobleu te kraceg boravka u Australiji i SAD-u, 1986. prelazi u Institut za tehnologiju u Lausannei gdje i danas vodi istrazivanja na podrucju visokotemperaturnih supravodica i kompleksnih sustava.Vecinu vremena danas provodi u Americi gdje mu je trenutno najvazniji projekt na Syncrotronu u Wisconsinu, koji financiraju svicarski i americki Fond za znanstvena istrazivanja. Objavio je vise od 150 znanstvenih radova u vodecim svjetskim znanstvenim Casopisima te udzbenik o supravodljivosti koji je postao bestsellerom u svjetskim strucnim krugovima. Uredio je 20-ak strucnih knjiga, odrzao stotinjak predavanja po elitnim svjetskim sveucilistima od Cambridgea, Harvarda, BellLabsa i Parisa, do Berkeleya, Sydneya i Tokija, a redovito predsjedava Svjetskim kongresom nanoinzenjeringa i novih oksidnih tehnologija. Predsjedavao je i na 20-ak svjetskih konferencija i ljetnih skola o fizici, medju kojima i na NATO-u. Savjetnik je nekoliko korporacija u Engleskoj, Njemackoj, Francuskoj, Japanu, SAD-u i Koreji, a i vanjski je suradnik naseg Instituta za fiziku. Zivi u svicarskim Alpama, ozenjen je Francuskinjom s kojom ima dvoje djece.-Rekli ste mi da ste, kao hrvatski strucnjak iz dijaspore, s hrvatskom vladom suradjivali vec i ranije, tijekom Domovinskog rata pa i kasnije?Da, bio sam savjetnik Vojnotehnickog savjeta Hrvatske od 1991. te tijekom rata, a suradjivao sam s akademikom Slavenom Barisicem, potom sa tadasnjim ministrom i kasnije rektorom Zagrebackog sveucilista dr. Brankom Jerenom, te predsjednikovim savjetnicima i nizom drugih istaknutih hrvatskih mislioca. O tome se malo zna jer je bio rat i nismo ni htjeli da se zna. Dakle, dio nas iz dijaspore suradjivao je preko generala Cosica izravno i u vojno-tehnoloskom sektoru, o cemu postoje detaljna izvjessa, kao i cijela strategija koju sam osobno izradio i predstavio drzavnim duznosnicima. No, iako su se nacelno svi slozili sa mnom i jasno postavljenim parametrima o tome kako i po kojim kriterijima udruziti ili vratiti neke nase strucnjake, s time nikad nije ucinjeno nista vaznije jer prosirenoj oligarhiji pri vlasti i u vojnom sektoru tada valjda nije odgovaralo moje jasno postavljanje pozitivnih kriterija odabira najboljih. A buduci da se nista nije zbilo, moji brojni prijatelji i ja naprosto smo udruzili vidjenije Hrvate preko Interneta i sad smo tu gdje jesmo, spremni za nove izazove.-Novi vas je ministar znanosti, obrazovanja i sporta, dr. Dragan Primorac, nedavno kontaktirao i predlozio vam suradnju. O cemu je tocno rijec?Vec smo ranije s prof. Radmanom dogovorili da cemo nas nekoliko, svatko u svojoj strucnoj disciplini, pomoci Vladi i, konkretnije, ministru Primorcu. Iz dosadasnjih razmjena ideja ocito je da cemo pokusati udruziti sve hrvatske strucnjake u svijetu i domovini te sam gotovo siguran da ce ministar prihvatiti moje prijedloge povecanje postotka inzenjersko-biotehnoloskih strucnjaka, sustavno slanje odabranih u tzv. centre moci, te jacanje uloge juzne Hrvatske, tocnije Splita, jer mi se cini da je previse 'znanja' centrirano u Zagrebu. Nama je potrebna jasna nacionalna vizija, treba nam konsenzus kakvu zemlju zelimo koji se nece mijenjati nakon svakih izbora. Recimo, svi podrzavamo Radmanov Institut MedILF u Splitu, imamo i podrsku Instituta 'Rudjer Boskovic' kao i Instituta za fiziku, a te ce podrske biti i vise. To bi ministru umnogome olaksalo posao jer vecina nase znanstveno-tehnicke elite u nekim stvarima ima zajednicki jezik.- Vase je stajaliste da bi Vlada trebala organizirano povezati nase strucnjake po svijetu. Mozete li konkretno reci kako bi to povezivanje trebalo izgledati?Za pocetak je dovoljno da postoji jedna osoba zaduzena za koordinaciju na razini Vlade ili u Ministarstvu znanosti. Ta bi nas osoba zatim povezivala odnosno kontaktirala s nama prema potrebi i dinamici Vladina rada. Nesto slicno vec je postojalo i u doba predsjednika Tudjmana, ali je problem bio u tome sto vecina ideja nije realizirana jer domace institucije i ljudi tad jos nisu bili spremni. Sada je stanje nesto bolje, svi postaju svjesni da nece izbjeci ni znanju ni otvaranju ni globalizaciji, trendu koji postoji u svijetu i u pozitivnom i u negativnom smislu. Svi smo u tome zajedno. Ponavljam, neke bih ljude vratio u Hrvatsku, Cak se usudim tvrditi kako ce na nasim strucnjacima iz dijaspore Hrvatska zaraditi ako ce ih znati koristiti!- Predlazete da se svi nasi strucnjaci i mediji, poglavito HTV, mobiliziraju kako bi se nacija bolje informirala o ulozi obrazovanja i znanosti u drustvu. To bi znacilo da bi mediji trebali dati puno vise prostora temama znanosti i obrazovanja, sto dosad nije bio slucaj. Kako biste vi promijenili tu sliku prioriteta?Po mom bi misljenju trebala postojati barem jedna emisija tjedno u kojoj bi brojni hrvatski strucnjaci i izumitelji mogli javno pokazivali svoja znanja, odnosno govorili o ulozi znanja i novih izuma te se tako javno predstavljali. U Hrvatskoj svi znaju za neke nogometase, a nitko nema pojma da su, primjerice, na Institutu za fiziku razvili najbolji septometar na svijetu i uveli metode koje su u stanju mjeriti kvalitetu najfinijih vina. Ili, pak, da su na IRB-u razvili nove metode proucavanja u medicini koje povezuju fiziku i medicinu na spektakularan nacin. U Hrvatskoj nitko, recimo, ne zna tko su dr. Dubravko Babic, dr. Ivica Kopriva, dr. Slaven Garaj, dr. Neven Matasovic, dr. Ivana Mrkonjic ili dr. Ante Bilusic - da spomenem samo neke, a sve su to ljudi koji su na svojim podrucjima svjetski relevantni strucnjaci. Osobno imam kontakte s mnostvom takvih strucnjaka, postoje i baze podataka koje smo stvorili - neke dragovoljno, a neke organizirano. Sve bi nas to trebalo spojiti, sto bi, za pocetak, mogla uciniti jedna sposobna osoba u Zagrebu. Uostalom, to vec dragovoljno radi Nenad Bach. Pogledajte web stranicu croatianworld.net  koja radi vec godinama i nitko ga u Hrvatskoj sluzbeno ne podrzava. - Kako biste tocno, preko jednog centra koordinacije na visokoj razini, povezali strucnost nasih znanstvenika iz inozemstva s domacim znalcima?Akademik Radman prihvatio je ulogu Vladina savjetnika za znanost te pozvao jos nas nekolicinu da takodjer pomognemo - sto je normalno. Detalji te suradnje ovise o Vladi i ministru. Uostalom, nismo mi jedini mudri i pametni, u Hrvatskoj na svakom podrucju znanosti ima odlicnih strucnjaka. Dakle, za pocetak nam je potrebna jedna sposobna osoba s racunalom i telefonom...- Naglasavate prioritet 'prirodnjaka' nad 'drustvenjacima' u znanosti, sto trebamaksimalno koristiti.Da, mislim da je jasno kako je fizika, primjerice, revolucionizirala ne samo elektroniku ili tehnologiju, vec doslovno i filozofiju pa cak religiju i nase ideje o svijetu i medicini. Imali ste kod nas one koji su se bavili ulogom marksisticke misli u razvoju radnickog pokreta ili ulogom radnicke klase u razvoju socijalistickog boljitka, sto je ocito bila kriva formula .Vecina nasih ljudi nije svjesna koliko su duboko takve ideje i floskule usle u svijest i srû nacije, pa vjerojatno osobe poput mene nekima zvuce kao ,desniCari, ili 'radikali', jer je nas narod zaboravio sto je u 21. stoljecu 'normalno'. U tom stoljecu integracije strucnosti nece biti moguce vjecno se snalaziti preko veza i poznanstava, vec ce vazna biti strucnost iz prirodnih znanosti i inzenjerstva. To ne ukida vaznost cijelog obrazovanja i kvalitetu u umjetnosti, literaturi ili jezicima, to samo znaci da sredista mjerodavnosti u Hrvatskoj treba vise pomaknuti prema znanstveno-inzenjerskom smjeru i smanjiti broj i utjecaj tzv. drustvenih intelektualaca. To, medjutim, nece biti lako.-Hrvatska znanstvena dijaspora, nasa znanstvena elita u svijetu, baza je koju naprosto treba poceti koristiti. Kako bi oni ubuduce mogli pomoci Hrvatskoj, pri cemu poglavito mislim na uklapanje znanosti u gospodarstvo kojem bas ne cvjetaju ruze?O toj sam temi drzao predavanja bivsoj vlasti jos 1994. i 1995. Karikirano, mi se uvijek salimo govoreci da bi bilo koji bolji americki menadzer supermarketa 'WallMart' jednostavno 'sredio' pet milijuna Hrvata u najljepsoj cistoj zemlji u Europi. Drugim rijecima, problem Hrvatske problem je jednog ocajno krivog obrasca menedzmenta bivseg socrealisticko-boljsevickog tipa u kojem se nista nije znalo o uspjesnom gospodarstvu. Istina je da oko 60 posto hrvatske ekonomije predstavlja petrokemija, da vecinu stanovnistva cine neaktivne osobe, umirovljenici, nezaposleni i studenti... Sve to slici na tanker prepun rupa koji kosta mnogo novca i strasan je teret za svakog zaposlenoga. To nijedna vlada nikad nece moci do kraja sama rijesiti, i zato joj je potrebna i pomoc Crkve, ali i aktiviranje svakog pojedinca. Nakon toga moguce je s preostalih 10 posto 'borbeno spremnih' pokretati male inicijative - nalik malim brodicama za brze operacije (dok tanker jedva prezivljava). S tom skupinom znalaca postupno se moze izgraditi nova Hrvatska, zemlja znanja koja sustavno i mudro slijedi jednu nacionalnu strategiju i viziju koja pojednostavljeno kaze: 'Stop crno-sivim tehnologijama'. Nasu buducnost cine kultura biotehnologije i ekoturizam, nova znanja u gospodarstvu te stvaranje velikih dohodaka s malo znalaca ('Microsoft' nema ni 300.000 zaposlenih) u najljepsoj i zadnjoj cistoj zemlji u Europi! Evo, na taj nacin mi u dijaspori pojednostavljeno vidimo Hrvatsku. I naglasavam, takva ce Hrvatska i biti jer bi u suprotnome mogla nestati, izmanipulirana najgorom vrstom tzv. eurokapitalista. Ponavljam, mi smo sve to detaljno razradili i dosad, samo sto nista od toga nije realiziralo. Cini se, naime, da je mnogima bilo bolje loviti u mutnome, u starom sustavu koji je samo promijenio ime i make-up. Ali, tako se vise nece moci dalje i zato ce promjene koje predlazemo - morati zazivjeti. Moji brojni prijatelji i ja imamo toliko znanja da cemo u svakom slucaju uspjeti- S obzirom da ste savjetnik korporacija iz raznih zemalja svijeta, od Engleske i Njemacke do Francuske, Japana i Koreje, koje biste konkretne mjere predlozili Vladi, odnosno ministru Primorcu? Koji su nasi prioriteti?Svaka zemlja ima svoje posebnosti i zato izravno ne treba primijeniti nijedan model, vec njihovu kombinaciju. Iz Svicarske bismo mogli kopirati ustroj i stabilnost institucija, iz Koreje restrukturiranje inzenjersko-proizvodnog sektora, iz Izraela stvaranje i infiltriranje elite u centre moci i odlucivanja, a iz Irske mozda integraciju, nazovimo to 'izvandomovinstva' i dodatnih strucnosti. Nase bismo studente, odabrane po kriterijima izvrsnosti, trebali sustavno slati u, primjerice, Harvard Business School i druge slicne centre moci, ne samo da steknu znanja, vec i veze i poznanstva, jer i to pomaze jednoj zemlji u globalnim svjetskim igrama mocnika, koje su, nazalost, neizbjezne. U igri moci i utjecaja bilo bi zanimljivo kopirati i tzv. centre publiciteta (PR centre) u New Yorku, Washingtonu, Bruxellesu ili Prizu. Na taj se nacin stjecu brojna iskustva. Ili, kako bi rekao moj kolega Nenad Bach 'idemo izvoziti i nase klape i obicaje', neka svi cuju za Hrvatsku! Uvjeravam vas da moji brojni prijatelji i ja imamo toliko znanja da cemo u svakom slucaju uspjeti, samo ako bude malo dobre volje, ne samo kod nove hrvatske Vlade, vec i opcenito, za dulje vrijeme. Iskreno receno, mi u inozemstvu ionako smo se dogovorili da sve to 'nametnemo' Hrvatskoj jer smo uvjereni da je vizija koju predlazemo gotovo optimalna. Mislim da se Sanaderova vlada i dr. Primorac s nama slazu. Davor.Pavuna@urbanet.ch (Prof.Dr. Davor Pavuna) Sun, 11 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7719/1/H-DrTatjana-Naranda.html ÂDr.Tatjana NarandaVečernji list- za ObzorNew York-Jadranka Jureško-Kero,23.12 2004Eskluzivno za Vecernji list:Dr.Tatjana Naranda, rođena Zagrepčanka koja živi i radi u San Franciscu dobitnica je prestižne znanstvene nagrade «Basic Research Award» koju dodjeljuje Danska kraljevska akademija ÂHrvatica koja suvereno vlada svjetskim laboratorijima«Znanstvenik mora slušati svoju intuiciju. Riješenja za sve probleme postoje i treba biti uporan i radišan i rezultati će sigurno doći. Molekularna biologija jedno je od velikih znanstvenih područja koja imaju svoju budučnost jer nažalost živimo u svijetu punom raznih bolesti i novi lijekovi su moja vjera i moj odgovor na te izazove. « To su riječi Zagrepčanke dr. Tatjane Narande koja živi i radi u San Francisku a dobitnica je prestižne znanstvene nagrade «Basic Research Award» koju dodjeljuje Danska kraljevska akademija. Doktorica Naranda četrdeset i dvogodišnja je znanstvenica koja zrači optimizmom a takva je tvrdi bila i kad je 1984 godine diplomirala na zagrebačkom prirodnoslovno matematičkom fakultetu. «Bila sam željna znanja i znanstvenih izazova pa sam već 1987 godine magistrirala na PMF-u u Zagrebu i potom se otisnula u svijet gdje sam u Americi na Floridi kao znanstveni istraživač na Tallahassee sveučilištuotkrila mogučnosti u znanosti.»Stručnjaci su vrlo brzo zapazili da se mlada hrvatska znanstvenica odlično snalazi u laboratoriju i da njene ideje imaju uporište pa se već 1988 godine seli u Madrid. Tamo se u Centru za molekularnu biologiju pridružila istraživačkom timu svjetski priznatog Nobelovca profesora Severo Ochoa koji je bio ekspert za bazične funkcije genetičkog materijala(DNA). « Profesor Ochoa je bio Španjolac i u Madridu je samo za njega osnovan posebni istraživački centar i uz tog sam divnog čovjeka puno naučila. U tom razdoblju objavila sam mnoge istraživačke studije a u znanstvenim sam krugovima zapažena s prvim rezultatima koja pokazuju da male promjene na fosfatnim molekulama mogu radikalno promijeniti funkcije velikih proteina. «Nakon tri godine provedene u Madridu Dr. Naranda znanstvenu karijeru nastavlja kod profesora John Hersheya u laboratoriju za biokemiju Kalifornijskog sveučilišta u Davisu. .» Dr. Hershey je jedan od vodećih svjetskih znanstvenika u području «kontrole prenašanja genetskog materijala». Uživala sam od prvog dana radeći s tim znanstvenikom jer kroz njegov samo laboratorij ušla u svijet bazične biologije i njene praktične primjene. Željela sam svoje stručno znanje potvrditi kroz osmišljavanje novih medikamenata pa sam u srcu biotehnološkog svijeta i uz odličnu suradnju s prestižnim Stanford Sveučilištem 1996 godine prihvatila posao znanstvenika u biofarmaceutskoj kompaniji Receptron.»-priča nam dr. Naranda.Uprava Receptrona nakon samo jedne godine shvatila je da u svom okrilju ima znanstvenicu svjetskog potencijala i dr. Naranda postaje istraživački direktor te kompanije. Od 2000 godine preuzima i funkciju izvršnog direktora i tvrdi da je sretna što je opravdala povjerenje koje je dobila jer najnovija nagrada koja je stigla iz Danske kraljevske akademije veliki je uspjeh i za tvrtku koju predvodi.« Još uvijek nisam izgubila istraživački interes. Svakog dana sam s istim žarom kao i prije dvadeset godina u laboratoriju i uvjerena sam da u mojoj znanstvenoj karijeri tek slijede najbolji rezultati. U svakodnevnom sam kontaktu s vodečim ljudima najvećih svjetskih farmaceutskih kompanija i razmjenjujemo ideje kako da sva naša znanstvena dostignuča pretvorimo u ljudima korisne lijekove za brža ozdravljenja»Dr. Naranda tvrdi da u Hrvatskoj sigurno ima puno mladih stručnjaka kojima treba pružiti šansu za kvalitetan znastveni rad. Ona ne misli da u našoj zemlji nema dovoljno mogučnosti za napredovanje ali upozorava da se male sredine koje nemaju i dovoljno sredstava za ulaganje u znanost teže probijaju u zapadnom bogatom znanstveno-istraživačkom svijetu. «Voljela bih pomoći svojoj zemlji i radovala bi me svaka suradnja s hrvatskim znanstvenicima. Ja nisam dobro upoznata samo s biznismenima iz farmacijskog svijeta nego i s ljudima iz bankarskog, menađerskog svijeta koji su neophodni da bi se razvijali novi i održali stari poslovi»-poručuje dr. Tatjana. Na naš prijedlog da se javi premijeru Sanaderu koji je za savjetnika izabrao svjetski priznatog znanstvenika dr. Radmana , naša je sugovornica oduševljeno pristala podsjetivši se da je dr. Radman bio njen profesor na PMF-u u Zagrebu. «Evo, upravo je Večernji list napravio moj prvi most prema znanstvenim krugovima u Hrvatskoj i zbog toga sam Vam zahvalna. Svu ću svoju energiju,obečajem, upotrijebiti da napravim i dobro djelo za svoju Domovinu»Na pitanje da li je njen cilj Nobelova nagrada, dr. Tatjana Naranda odgovara da je to san svakog znanstvenika ali skromno potvrđuje da za takve zasluge treba još dosta vremena raditi u svom laboratoriju.Jadranka Jureško-KeroDr, Tatjana Naranda pronašla je način kako stanični odgovor za hormone, na primjer insulin,kroz proteine na stanici, poznate kao receptore, može se postići na drugačije načine nego što je prije bilo mišljeno. To ima implikaciju za mnoge hormone i bolesti, kao na primjer diabetis, anemija uzrokovana kemoterapijom zbog karcinoma, defekti rasta i niz drugog.J.J.K. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 01 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7720/1/E-Late-Neanderthals-found-in-Croatia.html ÂLate Neanderthals found in CroatiaLate Neanderthals 'more like us'By Paul Rincon BBC News Online science staff Neanderthals are thought to have been replaced by modern humans Neanderthals were shedding their sturdy physique and evolving in the direction of modern humans just before they disappeared from the fossil record. Newly-identified remains from Vindija in Croatia, which date to between 42,000 and 28,000 years ago, are more delicate than "classic" Neanderthals. One controversial explanation is that these Neanderthals were interbreeding with modern humans in the region. Details of the research appear in the Journal of Human Evolution. Excavations also reveal the Vindija Neanderthals were developing advanced ways of making stone tools that mirror innovations elsewhere by modern humans (Homo sapiens). Researchers have pieced together a partial Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) skull from fragments found mixed in with animal bones from the site. Signs of interbreeding The skull comes from ground layers dating to between 42,000 and 38,000 years ago. The researchers also found other fragments of Neanderthal bone from later ground layers in the cave. Analysis of this cranium appears to confirm suggestions from earlier finds at Vindija that the Neanderthals there were evolving a more "gracile" anatomy - less sturdy than classic big-boned Neanderthals. The partial skull has a high forehead and small brow ridges The skull's supraorbital torus - an arching, bony ridge above the eyes - is not as thick and projecting as in other Neanderthal remains. The specimen also has a higher braincase than is typical in Neanderthals. Co-author Ivor Jankovic of the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb, Croatia, told BBC News Online: "You know, the Vindija material is interesting because it is more gracile than classic Neanderthals. "It suggests some contact between Neanderthals and modern humans but we don't know yet whether there was some interbreeding." Fierce debate The suggestion that Neanderthals interbred with modern humans is highly controversial. Many researchers believe they did not contribute genes to present-day populations. Most researchers now believe that our own species evolved in Africa and then swept across Europe, replacing the Neanderthals - the so-called "Out of Africa" model. They were evolving in the same way because they were part of a larger human species Dr James Ahern, University of Wyoming Comparisons of mitochondrial DNA from Neanderthals and modern humans have failed to reveal any signs of mixing between the two populations. But Dr James Ahern of the University of Wyoming, lead scientist in the latest study, thinks the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans was not a simple process. "There was a far more complex dynamic going on between 20,000 and 29,000 years ago than some people think. "I'm sure that there were some things post-Neanderthal populations assimilated from their predecessors, certainly in the biological sense," Dr Ahern told BBC News Online. Remains of early modern humans from Central Europe often display Neanderthal traits, say the researchers. But these features are no longer as common in present-day European populations. Neanderthals began to evolve in Europe around 230,000 years ago and dominated the continent until around 35,000 years ago when people with a more modern anatomy entered the continent. They were proficient hunters and well-adapted to an Ice Age climate. But their distinctive anatomy has led researchers to classify them as a separate species from us. The Vindija cranium predates the first recorded presence of modern humans in Europe by around 5,000 years. "Classic" Neanderthals had robust features Common direction Dr Ahern thinks this suggests that Neanderthals and modern humans in Africa were evolving in the same direction in response to common environmental pressures."They were evolving in the same way because they were part of a larger human species. Neanderthals just didn't change as rapidly as some of the other people," he explained. These pressures may have been rooted in sharp changes in the global climate. The evolution of a modern, or slight, physique by humans in Africa is thought to coincide with an emphasis on cultural and technological ways of dealing with everyday tasks that earlier people - including the Neanderthals - solved with brute force. Innovations believed to coincide with the appearance of modern human anatomy include hunting with bows and arrows and the use of harpoons for fishing. Dr Ivor Karavanic of the University of Zagreb found that around 38,000 years ago, Neanderthals began making more use of the mineral chert for stone tools.Chert is a superior material to the quartz that Neanderthals at the site had previously used. This behaviour mirrors cultural changes taking place at the same time in modern human populations and may indicate more advanced thinking. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3346455.stm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 24 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7721/1/E-Croatias-New-Scientific-Paradise.html ÂCroatia's New Scientific Paradise18 December 2003The new Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences in Split hopes to attract the world's best scientists. by Vedran Horvat ZAGREB, Croatia--When Croatian scientist Miroslav Radman was handed the keys in mid-November to the new Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences (MedILS), which he founded, it was an emotional moment. Looking upon the institute's newly restored facilities in the resort town of Split, on the Adriatic coast, Radman said, "My 30-year-old dream will eventually come true."The Institute for Life Sciences is structured as a non-profit organization intended to be part of a network of the world's leading biological research institutions. Radman expects the center to attract as many as 90 scientists from around the world, who will be chosen by an international council of their peers.The 11 November ceremony was indeed an important symbolic moment for Croatian science. By handing over the keys to the new center, Radman said that Croatian Science and Technology Minister Gvozden Flego was opening the door to a risky and ambitious enterprise. EXCELLENCE AT HOMEBut it's adventure, he says, that will certainly attract the best scientists and earn worldwide recognition--and, in the process, will hopefully lead to significant scientific breakthroughs that will benefit humankind. "This will be the center of the world in the middle of Croatia. There will be no similar institute in the world dedicated to such research crucial to humankind," he says.The award-winning scientist currently leads a team of 30 scientists at the Necker Institute in Paris, where he is a member of the French Academy of Sciences. Most recently, Radman has been involved in the human genome project and HIV/AIDS research. Radman has made good use of his reputation to bring together some of the world's top names in the field to create a scientific paradise in the Dalmatian center.Though he emigrated to France in the 1970s and has built his career up there, he has no qualms about returning to his homeland to head up what he terms his dream project. And there is hope that his good name will motivate other Croatian scientists who have left the country to return. Radman was born in Split in 1944."This is a center of excellence that was established thanks to visionaries who have always succeeded in achieving more. This is the realization of the dream, not just Radman's dream, but also of many of us in Croatia," Flego said, promising further state support for the project. It is hoped that such "centers of excellence" will help countries in transition to foster investment and attract foreign capital. "The amount of space for centers of excellence in Croatia depends on the number of excellent people. It is the task of our state to search for and find experts that will work hard on projects for the benefit of the country, the region, and mankind," Flego said. The science and technology ministry has already invested 1.5 million euros in the restoration of the building housing the new center. An additional 4 million euros is now needed to purchase the necessary equipment--donations Radman is hoping to collect from various institutions around the world. According to Radman, funding will not be a problem, as many are waiting in line to invest in new biological research. He expects institutions such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the European Union to support the project, as well.The institute's infrastructure and equipping should be finished during the next year, while it is likely the first experiments will start in summer 2005. But for now, the exact nature of the research is being kept under wraps, while the center awaits further funding for specific projects.THE MIND, THE ONLY LIMITAccording to Tanja Rudez, a science journalist with the daily Jutarnji list, the creation of the life sciences center was the common dream of Radman and retired Professor Marija Alacevic, as far back as the 1980s. Then, however, the project was buried, having received little support from the state.In more recent years the state has showed more interest. Former Science and Technology Minister Hrvoje Kraljevic went as far as to define the creation of the center of excellence as one of the priorities of his term in office. And his successor, Flego, has shown even more enthusiasm for the project. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, who has also lent his support to the project over the past few years, has even taken the trouble to personally track down Microsoft boss Bill Gates in the hopes of attracting investment for future research projects.Rudez, who is also the author of a soon-to-be-published book about Radman's work entitled Miroslav Radman: The Man Who Knocked Down the Genetic Wall, says the new center will lead to significant changes in Croatian science.Insufficient investment in science, devaluing of the importance of scientific work, and the significant "brain drain" of promising scientists have resulted in decreasing scientific production. The new center, she says, could very well put Croatia back on the scientific map.The new center "will function according to internationally recognized standards and could eventually lead to the appearance of a new scientific spirit of creativity and competition in the region," Rudez says. She attributes the new center's potential success to Radman's special charisma."He is a fascinating person, a scientific genius, and at the same time, a simple and humane man. Every conversation with him is a unique intellectual adventure," she says."Croatia is a small and still very isolated country. People like Radman and his colleagues--[geneticist] Errol Friedberg, [immunologist] Jean Claude Weill, and Nobel Prize-winning biologist Sydney Brenner--spread a spirit of freedom and creativity. I strongly believe that this spirit could infect young people, which is most essential."Radman says he already has support from numerous Nobel Prize winners.For the first two years, the institute will be led by renowned American scientist Errol Friedberg, who says its establishment "is a huge step for Croatian history, but also for world science." Jean Claude Weill, one of the future members of the MedILS research team, likewise applauded the opening of the center, encouraging Croatia to take advantage of this opportunity to be a scientific leader in the world, especially following its turbulent recent history. The institute will offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs. The official working language will be English. According to Radman, MedILs will be a center of creativity, independence of thought, and originality able to foster a new type of young scientist: "specialists of multidisciplinary understanding capable of taking essential steps in science."The task is all the more necessary because scientists today "are choking in a sea of data that they are not able to understand. The only limits they will have will be the limits of their own minds. We will encourage individuality; there will be no intellectual cloning," Radman says. "We will not use standard methods. We will try something different, something new, we will play, be creative."Radman also ruled out excessive administration and bureaucracy for the new center. "We need absolute academic freedom, independence, and flexibility. No administration should be an obstacle to the functioning of the institute. In fact, it is better if it is invisible."Though Croatia is set to swear in a new government before the New Year, the project is expected to earn continued state support. "I cannot imagine a minister of science who would not stimulate and allow this type of center to flourish," Flego said."Croatia's New Scientific Paradise"Vedran Horvat is a Zagreb-based reporter specializing in social and migration issues. Copyright © 2003 Transitions Online. All rights reserved. http://www.tol.cz/look/BRR/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=9&NrIssue=1&NrSection=4&NrArticle=11344#author letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7724/1/E-Call-for-papers-CONFERENCE-on-Computer-in-education.html Âcall for papers27th INTERNATIONAL ConVention MIPROMay 24-28, 2004CONFERENCE onComputer in education Grand Hotel Adriatic Convention Centre, Opatija, Adriatic Coast,Croatiawww.mipro.hrYou are kindly invited to the Twenty-seventh International Convention MIPRO dedicated to information, communication and electronic science and technology. This MIPRO Convention is already traditionally organized in the Congress Centre of Grand Hotel Adriatic, Opatija, Croatia. In past twenty-six years MIPRO was developed impressively with growing number of participants, growing variety of scientific, professional and commercial events to one big and unique manifestation in whole Croatia and South-East part of Europe.MIPRO presents each year many new developments and possibilities of use of informatics and related technologies in Croatia and the world, through scientific and professional conferences, seminars for continuous education, plenary themes for all participants, discussions, professional presentations and the exhibition of information and communication technology.We expect the arrival of hundreds experts, scientists, teachers, managers, business people and all others interested at MIPRO 2004. Your participation as one of authors on our conferences, as an teacher or attendee on seminars or as an exhibitor or visitor at our exhibition is welcome!MIPRO Croatian Association, IEEE Croatia Section and University of Zagreb will organize the conference. The conference is supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Croatia. The conference is traditional forum for scientists and practitioners in the merging area of telecommunications and informatics. Official language are English and Croatian. SCOPEThe scope of the event includes, but is not limited to: Education and Computer Science Methods for Teaching Computer Science The Implementation of Computer Technologies in Schools Distance Learning CAL and CAE Schools and Internet Schools and Hypermedia Continuing Education of Computer Science Teachers Education of all Teachers in use of Computing Computer Science Curriculum Researching about Students and Computer Researching about Small Children and Computer Practical and Tutorial Experience Advanced programming teaching and training Researching about handicapped users and computerÂAs an addition to the conference, presentation of electronics products is welcome as well.LOCATIONOpatija, often called the Nice of the Adriatic, is one of the most popular tourist resorts in Croatia and a place with the longest tourist tradition on the eastern part of Adriatic coast. Opatija is so attractive that at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries it was visited by the most prominent personalities: Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni, A. P. Čehov, James Joyce, Isidora Duncan, Beniamino Gigli, Primo Carnera, Emperor Franz Joseph, German Emperor Wilhelm II, Swedish Royal Couple Oscar and Sophia, King Georg of Greece.The offer includes 20-odd hotels, a large number of catering establishments, sports and recreational facilities.For more details please look athttp://www.opatija.hr/ andwww.opatija-tourism.hr/.For all future information please look athttp://www.mipro.hr/ or contact directly CE General Chairman: M. Čičin-Šain, Faculty of Economics, I. Filipovića 4, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia, phone +385 51 355111, fax: +385 51 675750, or e-mail:marinacs@efri.hr letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 08 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7722/1/H-Poziv-na-sudjelovanje---racunala-u-obrazovanju.html ÂPoziv na sudjelovanje27. MEĐUNARODNI SKUP MIPRO24. - 28. svibnja 2004.Grand Hotel Adriatic, Kongresni centar, OpatijaÂSavjetovanje računala u obrazovanju Âwww.mipro.hrDvadeset i sedmi međunarodni skup MIPRO posvećen informacijskoj, komunikacijskoj tehnologiji i elektronici održat će se tradicionalno u Opatiji 24. do 28. svibnja 2004. u Kongresnom centru Grand hotela Adriatic. U svojih dosadašnjih 26 godina MIPRO je izrastao u impresivnu međunarodnu manifestaciju kojoj po broju sudionika, raznovrsnosti sadržaja, stručnoj i znanstvenoj kompetentnosti, te društvenom i gospodarskom angažmanu nema premca ne samo u Hrvatskoj već ni u širem području jugoistočne Europe.Kroz znanstvena i stručna savjetovanja, seminare kontinuiranog obrazovanja, plenarne teme za sve sudionike, okrugle stolove, stručne prezentacije, izložbu informatičke, komunikacijske tehnologije i elektronike, MIPRO svjedoči o stanju i perspektivama informatike u zemlji i u svijetu.Očekujemo dolazak stručnjaka, znanstvenika, nastavnika na svim razinama obrazovanja, menadžera, gospodarstvenika, javnih djelatnika i ostalih zainteresiranih na MIPRO 2004. Očekujemo Vas kao autore referata ili kao sudionike ili predavače na seminarima ili kao izlagače na našoj izložbi ili kao sudionike okruglih stolova.ÂSavjetovanje organizirajuHrvatskaudrugaMIPRO,IEEEodsjekzaHrvatskuiSveučilišteuZagrebu.Pokrovitelji savjetovanja su Ministarstvo znanosti i tehnologije Republike Hrvatske, Ministarstvo pomorstva, prometa i veza Republike Hrvatske, te Hrvatska agencija za telekomunikacije. Skup je tradicionalno mjesto gdje se susreće znanost i struka za područje novih informatičkih i telekomu-nikacijskih tehnologija. Službeni jezici skupa su engleski i hrvatski.MJESTO ODRŽAVANJAOpatija, često nazivana "jadranskom ljepoticom", jedno je od najpopularnijih turističkih mjesta u Hrvatskoj s najdužom turističkom tradicijom na sjevero-istočnoj jadranskoj obali. Njezina ponuda uključuje dvadesetak hotela, velik broj restorana, te brojne sportske i rekreacijske sadržaje.Detaljnije informacije se mogu potražiti nawww.opatija.hr iwww.opatija-tourism.hr.Važna napomenaNa skupu možete sudjelovati aktivno, kao jedan od autora ili pasivno kao slušatelj ili slušateljica. Bit će nam posebno drago ako na skupu namjeravate sudjelovati sa radom. U tom slučaju Vi nama pošaljite naslov rada, podatke o autoru rada i sažetak rada (do 200 riječi), a mi ćemo Vam poslati upute za pisanje rada.Osim predavanja za savjetovanje Računala u obrazovanju sudionici se pozivaju da prisustvuju plenarnim temama, svim prezentacijama koje se održavaju na MIPRO-u, a po dogovoru ćemo omogućiti i posjet pojedinim predavanjima drugih savjetovanja za koja su pojedinci zainteresirani. U cijeni kotizacije za savjetovanje uključen je i poziv na koktel, zbornik savjetovanja "Računala u obrazovanju" i CD sa svim referatima skupa MIPRO. Dodatne informacije potražite nahttp://www.mipro.hr/ ili pišite glavnoj voditeljici: Marina Čičin-Šain Ekonomski fakultetI. Filipovića 451000 Rijeka, CroatiaTel: +385 51 355111,Fax:  +385 51 675750, ili E-mail: ÂÂÂmarinacs@efri.hr letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 08 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7725/1/E-Croatian-MAPSTER-OF-THE-UNIVERSE.html ÂCroatian Mapster of the UniverseCroatian Astrophysicists at the edge of the Universewith the view to the edge of space and timeÂOp-edDr Juric's mentor was Dr. Zeljko Ivezic (read Crown/Library/Science and/or People)NBTHE first-ever map of the universe has been unveiled. It gives a view from the Earth to the edge of space and time.MAPSTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Nov 20 2003Scientists unveil road map from here to eternityTHE first-ever map of the universe has been unveiled. It gives a view from the Earth to the edge of space and time. Scientists narrowed down their mind-boggling task by focusing on a four-degree wide sliver of the sky. They took their ``snapshot' from telescopes on the equator over 24 hours on August 13.The result stretches from the Solar System, through the Milky Way to deep space in diminishing perspective. It contains 126,625 galaxies with billions of stars.The largest structure found in the universe a wall of galaxies 1.37 billion light years long is included.The map project the brainchild of American astro-physicist Prof Richard Gott also shows the 10 brightest stars in our sky.The nearest to Earth, the Proxima Centauri, is four light years away.Astronauts traveling by rocket would be dead 155,000 years before they arrived. In making the map, Professor Gott had to overcome the problem of sheer scale.The most distant object that observed is a star about 155,000 billion, billion miles away.If he shrank such a distance to fit on a page, the Milky Way would be a dot smaller than a speck of dust. But if our galaxy was drawn to fit a page, he would need 62 miles of paper to show the most distant star. So Professor Gott, of Princeton University, and colleague Dr Mario Juric devised a special scale based on the Earth's 3963-mile radius.Their dream is to produce a version of the map, featured inNew Scientist magazine, to display in a 20-storey elevator shaft.It would be viewed by traveling up and down in a glass-walled lift. Each floor would show objects 10 times further away than on the floor below, with the beginning of the universe at the top. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7723/1/EH-Forum-of-Croatian-Astronomers-Hrvatskih-Astronoma.html ÂForum of Croatian Astronomers - Forum Hrvatskih AstronomaForum Hrvatskih Astronoma je neformalno on-line okupljalište hrvatskih profesionalnih astronoma u cilju razmjene korisnih informacija i neformalnog povezivanja sve veceg broja hrvatskih astronoma u svijetu i domovini.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Forum of Croatian Astronomers is an informal on-line assembly of professional Croatian astronomers with the goal of exchanging useful professional information and connecting the growing number of Croatian astronomers around the world and in the country.http://connect.znanost.org/astro/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7726/1/E-Mediteranski-institut-za-istrazivanje-zivota-u-Splitu.html ÂMiroslav Radman: Otkrica dolaze neocekivanoMediteranski institut za istraživanje života u Splitu"Originalan i kreativan prostor u kojemu ce rasti novi tip mladih znanstvenika, koji ce kao 'specijalisti multidisciplinarnog razmišljanja biti sposobni uciniti bitan korak u razumijevanju znanosti".Nenade, vratio sam se iz Zagreba i vec letim za Seoul, noako mozes, treba javiti na CROWN -> ovaj Radmanov Institut uSplitu je prvoklasan i mi to svi iskreno podrzavamo bez ljubomore.Dapace, cak i moji fizicari i ja vodimo redovne konferencijeka izazovu bio-fizike i ta ZAJEDNICKA vizija ce donijeti plodove:http://dubrovnik2004.epfl.ch/ From Solid State To BioPhysics II :Role of Inhomogeneities in Solid, Soft and Bio-MatterJune 26 - July 2, 2004 Hotel 'Croatia', Cavtat, Dubrovnik, Croatia Tvoj, Davor------MedILS dobiva Vilu Dalmaciju Mediteranski institut za istraživanje života u Splitu bit c'e znanstveni centar kakvoga još nema na svijetu, najavljuje uoci useljenja njegov osnivac, znanstvenik svjetskog glasa Miroslav Radman.ZAGREB/SPLIT - Mediteranski institut za istraživanje života - MedILS (Mediterranean Institut for Life Sciences), ciji je osnivac svjetski poznati znanstvenik Miroslav Radman, u nedjelju c'e svecano dobiti kljuceve kuc'e u obnovljenome dijelu kompleksa Vile Dalmacije u Splitu.U obnovu zgrade Ministarstvo znanosti i tehnologije uložilo je milijun i 96 tisuc'a kuna.Na svecanoj primopredaji obnovljene zgrade u sklopu kompleksa Vile Dalmacije bit c'e osnivac Instituta, znanstvenik hrvatskog podrijetla Miroslav Radman, clan Francuske akademije znanosti.Taj cin bit c'e i važan pomak prema konacnom ostvarenju zamisli akademika Radmana, koji je prije tri desetljec'a poželio da se u njegovom rodnome gradu osnuje institut na svjetskoj razini.Po rijecima samog akademika Radmana, pocetna je ideja u medjuvremenu toliko evoluirala i postala mnogo ambicioznijom, tako da je sadašnje 'poslanstvo' MedILS-a biti znanstveni centar kakvoga još nema na svijetu, za što ni bogati nisu imali petlje.Miroslav RadmanKako istice Radman, bit c'e to originalan i kreativan prostor u kojemu c'e rasti novi tip mladih znanstvenika, koji c'e kao 'specijalisti multidisciplinarnog razmišljanja biti sposobni uciniti bitan korak u razumijevanju znanosti'.To je, smatra Radman, vrlo važna zadac'a, jer se znanstvenici danas zapravo 'guše u moru podatka' koje ne mogu razumjeti.Na svecanosti u nedjelju ministar znanosti Gvozden Flego i privremeni ravnatelj MedILS-a Luka Gjakun potpisat c'e ugovor o poslovno-tehnickoj suradnji, kojim c'e završiti primopredaja predmetnih nekretnina i kojim c'e se preuzeti troškovi rada.Sve je pocelo 7. lipnja 2001., kada su tadašnji ministar znanosti Hrvoje Kraljevic' i splitski gradonacelnik Ivica Škaric' potpisali Ugovor o poslovno-tehnickoj suradnji.Tim se ugovorom, zakljucenim na 40 godina, Ministarstvo obvezalo da c'e vlastitim novcem rekonstruirati i adaptirati bivšu vojarnu u kompleksu Vile Dalmacije, kako bi se u gra?evinskom i tehnicko-tehnološkom smislu prilagodila za znanstvena istraživanja molekularne genetike.Grad Split obvezao se pak predati bivšu vojarnu sa svom dokumentacijom kako bi rekonstrukcija i adaptacija mogle poceti.Prethodni clanci:Radman: Otkric'a dolaze neocekivano (03.10.2003.)Radmanu Grand Prix (01.10.2003.)Radman: Otkric'a dolaze neocekivano Miroslav Radman, dobitnik najvec'e francuske nagrade za medicinska istraživanja - Grand Prix Inserm - pojasnio je otkric'e obrane ljudskoga organizma od virusa AIDS-a.Miroslav Radman, svjetski priznati hrvatski znanstvenik, koji je u cetvrtak u Parizu primio nagradu Grand Prix Inserm, najvec'u francusku nagradu za medicinska istraživanja, ovih je dana boravio u Zagrebu kao visoki gost Hrvatskoga biološkog društva 1885. - organizatora 8. hrvatskog biološkog kongresa. Sudionicima skupa govorio je o najnovijim spoznajama koje ''bacaju'' novo svjetlo na spoznaje o obrani ljudskoga organizma od virusa AIDS-a. Ti su podaci, inace, objavljeni u prošlome broju uglednoga casopisa Science, a sadrže rezultate istraživanja provedenih u zadnjih šest do sedam mjeseci u tri laboratorija u Francuskoj, Engleskoj i Japanu.Miroslav Radman bio je na celu jednoga od tih laboratorija - Laboratorija za evolucijsku i molekularnu genetiku Instituta Necker u Parizu, a u svjetlu najnovijih spoznaja objasnio je kako do najvec'ih znanstvenih otkric'a istraživaci cesto dolaze neocekivano, što je i slucaj s najnovijim rezultatima istraživanja obrane organizma protiv virusa i retrovirusa, a posebice protiv virusa AIDS-a. O cemu se, zapravo, radi?Cijelo otkric'e pocinje u stanicama ljudskog imunološkog sustava koje imaju specifican enzim koji radikalno kemijski mijenja sekvencu maloga genoma nukleinske kiseline virusa. Tako taj enzim promijeni slovo "C" (baza citozin) u deoksiribunukleinskoj kiselini (DNK) u slovo "U" (baza uracil) koje se ne nalazi u DNK vec' u ribonukleinskoj kiselini (RNK). Nakon toga ,poseban enzim reparacije prepoznaje to kao abnormalnost i "reže" DNK u sitne komadic'e. Znaci, stanica domac'in razgradi, degradira, u sitne komadic'e genom virusa, pa on ne bi trebao predstavljati nikakav problem u našim stanicama.I dok je to istina za vec'inu virusa koji su "ro?aci" virusa AIDS-a i za koje mi ni ne znamo da smo se njima inficirani, a dobijemo ih od domac'ih životinja, macke, psa i sl., virus AIDS-a ostaje "živ". To mu uspijeva zato što je virus AIDS-a uspio "izmisliti" - evoluirati, mali protein koji blokira spomenuti specificni enzim u stanicama ljudskoga imunološkog sustava koji kemijski radikalno mijenja i tako uništi genetsku informaciju virusa. Taj mali protein zove se Vif - virusni infektivni faktor i zahvaljujuc'i njemu virus AIDS-a preživi tu "strategiju", odnosno pokušaj naših stanica da unište njegov genom.Vif proteinAli ako se, istaknuo je Radman, umjetno napravi mutant i inaktivira protein Vif, u tome slucaju virus AIDS-a više nije produktivan, a buduc'i da se on zove virusni infektivni faktor, bez njega nema ni infekcije. Pri tomu je zanimljivo je da u tome natjecanju, a možemo rec'i i svojevrstnoj ''trci u naoružanju'' izme?u virusa i našega imunološkog sustava, isti enzim koji modificira strukturu gena virusa stanica imunološkoga sustava upotrebljava, na jedan vrlo kontroliran nacin, da bi mijenjala - mutirala gen za imunoglobuline, odnosno da bi napravila što više njegovih varijanata. Taj enzim, koji je evoluirao vjerojatno zato da uništi virus, stanica sada "kooptira" da bi mutirala svoj gen za imunoglobuline i milijun puta brže no što se mijenjaju svi drugi geni u našim stanicama.Vrlo je zanimljivo, rekao je Radman, da tu metodu mutacija i mozaicizma genskih sekvenci jednako upotrebljavaju i virusi da bi izbjegli imunološki sustav, odnosno da bi se mijenjali dovoljno brzo da ih nijedno specificno antitijelo ne uništi sto posto. Tako i virusi i stanica koriste ista "oružja" - taj specifican enzim citozin-deaminazu koji naš imunološki sustav upotrebljava da uništi virus, ali ga upotrebljava i za samoga sebe da bi napravio ogroman broj promjena u svojim genima kako bi raznolikost antitijela bila tako velika da bi, u idealnoj situaciji, svaka varijanta virusa ili bakterije bila raspoznata i mi bismo tada bili potuno obranjeni od infekcije.A to je, zakljucio je, nešto sasvim novo i potpuno neocekivano jer se na tomu nije radilo, vec' se na to 'naišlo' slucajno. Jer, smatra Radman, izgleda da istraživaci nisu imali dovoljno mašte nego su, kao što se to nama cesto doga?a, otkrili nešto neocekivano - a to su obicno i najvec'a otkric'a.Prethodni clanci:http://www.iskon.hr/znanost/page/2003/10/03/0146006.htmlRadman: Otkric'a dolaze neocekivano (03.10.2003.)http://www.iskon.hr/znanost/page/2003/10/01/0018006.html>Radmanu Grand Prix (01.10.2003.) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7727/1/E-Dr-Ivezic-in-The-New-York-Times.html ÂCroatian Scientist Dr. Zeljko Ivezic, an astrophysicist at Princeton University. Halo Reveals Remains of Milky Way's Galactic SnacksBy JAMES GLANZAstronomers have long suspected a dark secret about Earth's galaxy, the Milky Way. They have even seen other galaxies engaging in the macabre behavior at the core of this secret. But without irrefutable proof, astronomers refused to admit that it might be commonplace closer to home. Now, they have that proof. The Milky Way is a cannibal. It consumes other galaxies and makes their stars its own. The evidence comes from some of the first data to emerge from the multi-institutional collaboration called the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an $80 million project that will eventually observe and categorize hundreds of millions of celestial objects over a quarter of the entire sky. Faint stars that the Sloan collected in two patches of the sky have revealed, in effect, the partly digested remains of two small galaxies that the Milky Way's gravity grabbed, perhaps a billion or two billion years ago. The clumpy patches turned up not in the bright disk of the galaxy, but in the thinly populated sphere of stars and other matter around it. The telltale remains hover about 150,000 light-years from the galactic center. "It looks like the stars are formed in other galaxies, and then are being assimilated into our galaxy," said Dr. Heidi Newberg, an astrophysicist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and a Sloan collaborator. The inevitable conclusion, she said, is that "we're munching on the little ones," or eating up smaller galaxies that once glittered on the outskirts of the Milky Way. Dr. Newberg said it was still uncertain whether all of the stars of the halo were captured in this way. But the new results do provide strong support for theories holding that the halo was assembled bit by bit after the disk formed. Alternative theories maintain that the halo formed all at once, and that material inside it later settled into a disk. The data were assembled from observations of two patches of sky, one in the northern galactic plane and one in the south, made by the Sloan Survey's automated telescope at Apache Point, N.M., said Dr. Brian Yanny, an astrophysicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and a Sloan collaborator. The telescopic images included a few million stars all told. But within that sample, the images revealed elongated clumps of hot objects called A stars. The northern clump contained about 2,000 A stars and the southern clump about 1,000.The northern clump also turned out to be traced by another kind of star, the blinking variable stars called RR Lyraes, said Dr. Zeljko Ivezic, an astrophysicist who is a Sloan collaborator at Princeton University. Both types of star have a special property: Their intrinsic brightness is approximately known, so their distance from Earth can be estimated from their apparent brightness on the sky. That knowledge allowed the Sloan astronomers to reconstruct the three-dimensional shapes of the clumps. "They're very diffuse and elongated," Dr. Yanny said, or roughly cigar shaped, 15,000 light-years wide and 60,000 light-years long. They no longer look like little galaxies, he said, because "they've been disrupted by the gravitational potential" of the Milky Way -- partly digested, in less clinical language. Such faint groupings of stars can be seen only using a vast survey like the Sloan, Dr. Ivezic said. He added that the precise way in which the former galaxies were being torn to pieces could reveal the distribution of a mysterious, nonluminous type of matter called dark matter in the halo. "That will constrain very strongly how the halo is built," Dr. Ivezic said. The finding supports the basic theoretical picture of large structures in the universe being formed from smaller ones, said Dr. Abraham Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard University, who is not a member of the Sloan Survey.And as for the Milky Way, Dr. Loeb said, "you can call it a cannibal. We have to eat to feed ourselves. And a galaxy feeds on these smaller components." Source:http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/041100sci-cannibal-galaxies.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 31 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7728/1/E-Collegium-Antropologicum-the-most-improved-in-the-world.html ÂCroatian "Collegium Antropologicum" officially the most improvedsocial science journal in the world for mid-2002.ÂDragi Nenade,Saljem Vam slijedeci clanak koji sam upravo nasao na MedLine.Osobno mislim da je vrijedan pozornosti citatelja Crowna. Usput, MedLine jekonacno promijenio oznaku jezika uz hrvatske casopise u "Croatian".(Pre)dugo smo cekali, ali koncano se ostvarilo.Primite srdacan pozdrav, StanislavStanislav_Lechpammer@dfci.harvard.edu Croatian "Collegium Antropologicum" officially the most improvedsocial science journal in the world for mid-2002.Rudan P, Skaric-Juric T, Rudan I.Coll Antropol. 2003 Jun;27(1):S1-4. Thomson ISI's bimonthly web-product ISI Essential Science Indicators(ESI) is an in-depth analytical tool that regularly reports quantitativeanalyses of research performance and science trends, covering about 8,500scientific journals from the entire world. In each issue ESI lists thescientists, institutions, countries and journals that are most improved fromone update to the next, i.e. that show the largest percentage increase intotal citations. In its edition of January 2003, it reported that our"Collegium Antropologicum" was the most improved journal in the field ofSocial Sciences during the period from July 2002 to September 2002. Thefield of Social Sciences is one of 22 categories of science regularlyanalyzed by ESI. It includes anthropology, public health, sociology, socialwork and policy, political science, law, education, communication, libraryand information sciences, environmental studies and rehabilitation. Due tojournal's success, which is based on publications of predominantly Croatianscientists within the past seven post-war years, Croatia was also officiallythe most improved among more than 200 countries, and University of Zagrebwas the most improved in the field of Social Science among thousands ofother institutions. We hope that this is an early sign of revival of thescientific activity in our country after the War in Croatia (1991-1995). letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000