The Regional Center for Divers Training and Underwater Demining

The Regional Center for Divers Training and Underwater Demining (RCUD) in Bijela, Montenegro, trains divers from around the world to properly handle and dismantle weapons located underwater. Since the organization’s creation in 2002, it has removed more than 120 tons of explosive material

THE ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH NETWORKS IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The present paper intends to present “a short history” of a young research network established a few years ago. The network has already a European cover and impact. Its activity was very intense and the results over expectations. Moreover, the cohesion among members makes possible the development of the activity for the future. By this article we want to give an example of a “good practice” in this field. Could be an example for other networks, institutes, research centres and researcher of how an idea can become reality.Europe, Networks, Rural Development, Experience, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

A Revised Shock History for the Youngest Unbrecciated Lunar Basalt - Northwest Africa 032

Northwest Africa (NWA) 032 is the youngest radio metrically dated mare basalt, with concordant Rb-Sr and Sm-Ndages of 2.947 ± 0.016 Ga and 2.931 ± 0.092, respectively [1]. Measurement of the cosmogenic nuclides present in NWA 032 suggest an Earth-Moon transfer age of 0.5Ma, typical of lunar meteorites [2]. NWA 032 is an unbrecciate dolivine-pyroxene-phyric basalt, with olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase as major minerals (Fig.1). A previous description of shock effects in NWA 032 allowed for a shock pressure estimate of ~4060 GPa [2]; however, the shock state of plagioclase feldspar (shock-amorphized vs crystalline) was inconclusive, owing to the fine grain size of this mineral (≤1μm). The purpose of our study is to characterize the shock deformation and transformation effects in NWA 032 using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and micro-Raman spectroscopy, focusing on the structural state of feldspar, shock deformation recorded in igneous olivine and pyroxene, as well as characterizing the crystallization products of shock melting. The latter have been demonstrated as useful criteria to evaluate shock conditions [3]. Our results more tightly constrain the shock history experienced by NWA 032. Presented in absentia on April 27, 2020 at "Student Research Day" at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. (Conference cancelled) Faculty Mentor: Erin L. Walton  Department: Earth and Planetary Sciences &nbsp

Ab initio Prediction of the Conformation of Solvated and Adsorbed Proteins

Proteins are among the most important groups of biomolecules, with their biological functions ranging from structural elements to signal transducers between cells. Apart from their biological role, phenomena related to protein behaviour in solutions and at solid interfaces can find a broad range of engineering applications such as in biomedical implants, scaffolds for artificial tissues, bioseparations, biomineralization and biosensors. For both biological and engineering applications, the functionality of a protein is directly related to its three-dimensional structure (i.e. conformation). Methods such as homology and threading that depend on a large database of existing experimental knowledge are the most popular means of predicting the conformation of proteins in their native environment. Lack of sufficient experimentally-derived information for non-native environments such as general solutions and solid interfaces prevents these knowledge-based methods being used for such environments. Resort must, instead, be made to so-called ab initio methods that rely upon knowledge of the primary sequence of the protein, its environment, and the physics of the interatomic interactions. The development of such methods for non-native environments is in its infancy – this thesis reports on the development of such a method and its application to proteins in water and at gas/solid and water/solid interfaces. After introducing the approach used – which is based on evolutionary algorithms (EAs) – we first report a study of polyalanine adsorbed at a gas/solid interface in which a switching behaviour is observed that, to our knowledge, has never been reported before. The next section reports work that shows the combination of the Langevin dipole (LD) solvent method with the Amber potential energy (PE) model is able to yield solvation energies comparable to those of more sophisticated methods at a fraction of the cost, and that the LD method is able to capture effects that arise from inhomogenities in the water structure such as H-bond bridges. The third section reports a study that shows that EA performance and optimal control parameters vary substantially with the PE model. The first three parts form the basis of the last part of the thesis, which reports pioneering work on predicting ab initio the conformation of proteins in solutions and at water/solid interfaces

Molecular-level understanding of protein adsorption at the interface between water and a strongly interacting uncharged solid surface

Although protein adsorption on solids is of immense relevance, experimental limitations mean there is still a remarkable lack of understanding of the adsorption mechanism, particularly at a molecular level. By subjecting 240+ molecular dynamics simulations of two peptide/water/solid surface systems to statistical analysis, a generalized molecular level mechanism for peptide adsorption has been identified for uncharged surfaces that interact strongly with the solution phase. This mechanism is composed of three phases: (1) biased diffusion of the peptide from the bulk phase toward the surface; (2) anchoring of the peptide to the water/solid interface via interaction of a hydrophilic group with the water adjacent to the surface or a strongly interacting hydrophobic group with the surface; and (3) lockdown of the peptide on the surface via a slow, stepwise and largely sequential adsorption of its residues, which we term 'statistical zippering'. The adsorption mechanism is dictated by the existence of water layers adjacent to the solid and orientational ordering therein. By extending the solid into the solution by ∼8 Å and endowing it with a charged character, the water layers ensure the peptide feels the effect of the solid at a range well beyond the dispersion force that arises from it, thus inducing biased diffusion from afar. The charging of the interface also facilitates anchoring of the peptide near the surface via one of its hydrophilic groups, allowing it time it would otherwise not have to rearrange and lockdown. Finally, the slowness of the lockdown process is dictated by the need for the peptide groups to replace adjacent tightly bound interfacial water. © 2014 American Chemical Society

Beekeeping development opportunity for Serbian Danube”

Beekeeping in the Serbian economy is one of the underdeveloped sector. Modern agriculture today can not be imagined without a developed and modern beekeeping as a part of agriculture and the national economy that is subject to economic laws that operate in the market and is inextricably linked to all the developments in the domestic and global economics. The importance of this activity is potentiated in this paper. The paper analyzed the production of honey, the total number of hives and honey production per hive in Central Serbia, Vojvodina and Serbian Danube region. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of beekeeping as an economic sector that has significant potential for sustainable development within the Serbian Danube region. The presented data related to beekeeping in statistical databases and literature data related to beekeeping