ISSUE TOPIC

Deep space

Over the last half-century, man's knowledge has reached the unheard distances of the universe. Initially with artificial satellites and probes, then by its footsteps on the moon and more recent times by observing distant galaxies with miraculous-power telescopes. Small probes that are supposed to travel at unimaginable speeds today are preparing for future research quests into the unknown.
Although the constellations have been known since ancient times, only recently, thanks to advances in science and technology, everything is somehow "seen" and measured, made comparisons and calculations and, though uncertain, concludes what is out there, at distances measured by hundreds and even thousands of light-years. Is there life out there? Are there planets where life like this on Earth could be observed, the only bright spot where the joys of life are possible? How do you get there? And what can people be waiting for there? What are the immediate plans to penetrate the unfathomable Deep Space?

MEDICINE

Arrhythmia therapy

Without a moment's pause, relentlessly, the heart supplies the body with vital oxygen and nutrients, constantly pumping blood through the vast circulatory network of blood vessels. Biostatistics records that it does this through 60 to 80 rhythmic contractions of the heart muscle - heart rate - in every minute, or about 100,000 beats in one day, 40 million in one year, three billion over an average human lifespan... The phenomenon of continuous heart function is explained by the fact that some biological cells and tissues have electrical properties, caused by the electrochemical activities of so-called excitable cells (excitatory) cells.
Electrophysiology of the heart, an area within cardiology that studies this vital organ from this point of view, deals with pathological processes, primarily heart rhythm disorders, as well as their diagnosis and treatment, including the risk assessment of sudden cardiac death. Internist cardiologist electrophysiologist Dr. sc. med DejanVukajlovic, the expert in this field, associate of Belgrade General Hospital Acibadem Bel Medic, discusses the benefits of so-called catheter ablation, a modern method that in certain cases results from complete healing of heart rhythm disorder.
 

MEDICINE

Mutual wrist replacement
in – one operation!

As the most mobile and the most burdened joints of the human body, the hip and knee are naturally susceptible to degenerative changes caused by biological aging, pathological conditions, and often physical (sports) injuries. That is why the joints are most often operated on, with the most common need for surgical treatment with arthroplasty - surgical replacement with an artificial joint (endoprosthesis). Implantation of artificial joints has been an integral part of modern orthopedic surgery for eight decades, but today it is so sophisticated - not only with new surgical techniques but also technologically advanced implants made of biomechanically excellent materials - that implantation of artificial joints has become commonly reliable and successful. Moreover, experts like doc. drsc.med Radoslav Barjaktarović, an orthopedic surgeon at the Belgrade General Hospital Acibadem Bel Medic, also performs operations on both sides of the hips or knees - in the same surgical procedure! Dr. Barjaktarović, an expert in bilateral arthroplasty with hundreds of such procedures, says that perfect implants were made for the hips, which provide ideal joint reconstruction in the hands of a good surgeon - after postoperative rehabilitation, the patient does not feel that he has an artificial hip.

MEDICINE

Hip and knee arthroscopy

There is almost no person who in the middle and later ages does not complain of joint pain and, with age, difficulty moving. Movement restriction and pain can be signs of degenerative joint diseases, or arthrosis, otherwise the most common joint diseases that occur in man. When they hit a knee (gonarthrotic) or hips (ketosis), and are not treated in time, they can be very difficult to damage and lead to disability. In such cases, the only effective therapy is a replacement, i.e., implantation of the witch joints, which is performed exclusively in an invasive way, through open surgical intervention, arthroplasty.
However, in the early stages of the development of degenerative changes caused by aging or joint disease, as well as sports injuries of soft tissues of the knee (tendons, ligaments, meniscus), minimally invasive arthroscopy can slow down or prevent further pathological development, preserve the joint and delay or eliminates the need for endoprosthesis implantation. Dr sc. Aleksandar Crnobaric, an orthopedic surgeon at Belgrade's Acibadem Bel Medic General Hospital, says such preventive or therapeutic endoscopic procedures: arthroscopic procedure can help reshape the bones in the hip joint, relieve pain in the hip or knee by removing the remnants of damaged articular cartilage. excess bone or inflamed tissue can treat cracks and broken bones…

TESLA

Water on the move

Nikola Tesla's imaginative mind didn't just stop in the fields of electrical engineering, radio technology, and machinery. The genius inventor also made patents from the domains of air management, and his two finds that he was recognized for - but never protected - refer to chemical technology. However, one of his finds, which differs in significant measure from everything else to which the great inventor dedicated the greatest part of his creative oeuvre, is fountains.
Unlike the usual solutions, where water was sprayed or ejected in jets in various decorative forms, Tesla's fountain, at that time acompletely new type, was supposed to bring a new beauty. As Tesla himself states, the beauty contained "in the fascinating sight of a large mass of water in motion, giving the impression of great power."Its fountain would enable "the creation of beautiful and striking scenes using lighting and a certain number of cascades", all with relatively low energy consumption.
 

TECTONICS

Volcano at the bottom of the ocean

In 2015, a German research team sent a submarine to the bottom of the Pacific. West of Peru, the robot was camera-exploring a vast expanse of the seabed, 2.5 miles deep, known for being extremely flat. However, when the lights came on on the robot, a landscape that had never been seen before appeared: it was a smaller "mountain" rising 300 m from the seabed, whose steep inclines were covered with lava-like pillows, as well as unusual dark veins, the most likely deposits of magma. A team of researchers discovered an underwater volcano or sea elevation in an abyssal plain. It's a geologically inactive region that shouldn't have volcanoes.
Most of the approximately 1,500 inactive volcanoes are underwater. Also, most of them are formed on the edges of tectonic plates: either in the wider center of the seabed, where fresh lava separates the plates, or in the subduction zones, where the plates go under each other, leading to the melting of the sheath caused by the eruption. Volcanoes from the seabed also appear above the "hot spot" of the sheath, where clouds of magma rise from the depths of our planet. However, none of the existing theories explain how the new sea elevation formed because it is not located near the known sheath clouds and extends hundreds of kilometers from the boundaries of the Naska tectonic plate.

ANIMALS IN WINTER

Half a year without food!

When the outside temperature starts to drop before winter, noticeable changes occur all around us. As winter approaches, we see fewer and fewer animals. Even today, a man tries to understand the many mechanisms and secrets that allow animals to withstand extreme temperatures, both high and low. During the fall, squirrels collect nuts, mice and beavers store food in their homes, and some birds begin their journey to the south. The bees use the stocks of honey they have collected during the warmer months. Many mammals try to eat as much as they can before winter comes, to make sure they have excess fat for the winter months.In addition to heating them with an extra layer of insulation, this prevents them from getting too hungry.
Cold resistance is a question of the size and type of surface of the skin. Due to the large area of the body relative to the calf's volume, small mammals do not have enough fur or fatty deposits to protect them from the cold. Areas with extremely low temperatures are therefore mostly an empire of larger mammals. For small animals, hibernation is the only chance of survival.

MINERALS

The colorful world beneath
the planetary crust

The collection of minerals and rocks of the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Belgrade is the oldest museological collection in Serbia. Sigmund August Wolfgang von Herder.Itis, above all, a teaching-scientific base of the faculty, but also a place where educators gladly bring preschoolers who are enchanted by the mysterious world since the "skeleton" of our planet was made.
The collection of minerals and rocks of the Faculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade is located on the fourth floor of the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade. The most representative samples of geological treasures of Serbia and the whole world are exhibited in glass showcases, located in one large room.In addition to the exhibition work, there is a so-called central collection.
It mainly houses examples brought from the field and serves as a basis for various studies, but also as material evidence of the test carried out that may be necessary for some future research. Representative specimens of different types of rock are also kept in the Collection, and there are two classrooms containing rock samples intended for students to practice.