LATVIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES YE A R B O O K 2020 EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE LATVIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES YEARBOOK 2020: Ojārs Spārītis, President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Ilze Trapenciere, Advisor to the President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Namejs Zeltiņš, Professor, Corresponding Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Energy Efficiency Centre, Institute of Physical Energetics THE ISSUE WAS PREPARED BY: Editor-in-chief: Ojārs Spārītis Project manager: Ilze Trapenciere Editor: Antra Legzdiņa Design: Līga Sarkane On the front cover: Džemma Skulme. CARYATID. 1998. Acrylic on canvas. 70×60 cm From the book: “Džemma Skulme.” Neputns, Rīga, 2015 Publisher Zinātne Ltd Registration No. 40003576967 Authors are responsible for the reliability of any facts and data declared in the articles. Copyrights to the published articles belong to the authors. Printed at ADverts © Authors of the articles, 2020 © Latvian Academy of Sciences, 2020 © Līga Sarkane, design, 2020 ISBN 978-9934-549-94-6 2 2020 CONTENTS 3 Egils Levits. President of Latvia 5 Ojārs Spārītis. President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences 6 Ilze Trapenciere. Glimpses on international cooperation of the Latvian Academy of Sciences 13 Karin Laar, Ilze Dimanta. For Women in Science programme – empower, support, accompany, change perceptions SCIENCE POLICY 19 Philipp Schwartz. 100 years of legal history – Latvia’s Constitution and Civil Code 23 Ojārs Spārītis. The Rīga (Bulduri) Conference of 1920 and a Draft Science Convention between the Baltic States 28 Eugene Eteris. Latvian science policy: European dimension 32 Kristaps Jaudzems. Association of Latvian Young Scientists – a valued partner for science policy making in Latvia 36 Ņina Linde. Cooperation between the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences LIFE SCIENCES 41 Māris Kļaviņš. Values of Latvia’s nature in focus of research: from basic science to applications in industry 44 Marina Makrecka-Kūka. Research of mitochondrial fitness: from healthy ageing to inflammation 48 Jānis Ločs, Maija Dambrova, Edgars Liepiņš, Ilze Salma, Konstatins Logviss, Mauro Alini, Matteo D’Este, Aldo R. Boccaccini, Liliana Liverani, Dagnija Loča, Arita, Dubnika. Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence project will boost biomaterial research in the region 54 Ilze Ļihačova, Aleksejs Ļihačovs, Dmitrijs Bļizņuks. Portable device for early noninvasive diagnosis of skin cancer 60 Jurģis Jansons, Tālis Gaitnieks. Opportunities and challenges for Latvian forest science – the role of forest scientists in forestry CURRENT RESEARCH TOPICS IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 65 Māra Grudule. Gotthard Friedrich Stender as a Latvian and a European scholar 70 Baiba Rivža, Maiga Krūzmētra. National research programme, Latvian heritage and future challenges for the sustainability of the state, INTERFRAME-LV 2019–2021 73 Indulis Zālīte. Publication of a collection of KGB operational documents in Latvia, 2018 MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH IN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENGINEERING 79 Aija Rūse. Rīga Technical University’s collaboration with the Centre for European Nuclear Research 83 Mārcis Pinnis, Toms Bergmanis. Tilde’s neural machine translation technology 88 Juris Freimanis, Artis Aberfelds, Boris Ryabov, Juris Kalvāns, Romass Pauliks, Artem Sukharev, Karina Šķirmante. Engineering Research Institute “Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre” of the Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and its broad-scope research 92 Aivars Starikovs. Latvian Hydrogen Association: activities and perspective 94 Kristaps Lamsters, Jānis Karušs. The first Latvian scientific Antarctic expedition 100 Andris Šutka, Linards Lapčinskis. Scientists of Rīga Technical University have made significant research in the development of triboelectric nanogenerators 102 Pēteris Trapencieris. The Stradiņš family and the Latvian Academy of Sciences 106 Achievements in science 2019 Yearbook 2020 EGILS LEVITS, PRESIDENT OF LATVIA Dear members of the scientific community, Dear academicians, I see the Latvian Academy of Sciences as a socially itiveness of the national science sector and I wish responsible knowledge institution. We expect the you endless energy in pursuit of this goal. Academy to be modern and open. Its tasks range I am extremely happy to see that the lines of Latvi- from raising of public awareness on current scien- an Academy of Sciences’ full members are getting tific developments to inspiring youth to pursue a younger. It promotes academic continuity and ever career in science. Privilege of being a scientist closer cooperation between ‘seasoned’ scientists comes with responsibility towards Latvian society and young scientific minds. United scientific com- or our taxpayers. Responsibility to disseminate the munity is a great force and resource, a real catalyst latest Latvian scientific research results, give in- for change in the sector in terms of better legal sights into their applicability and raise public framework and funding opportunities. awareness on specific aspects of science. Composed Science is one of priorities of my presidency. I am of the most experienced Latvian scientists, Acade- delighted to follow all the inventions and global my should serve as the source of inspiration and success of Latvian scientists. I celebrate our young knowledge to youth. science stars who have reached new scientific Latvian higher education and science is currently heights and am pleased about the input of indus- going through major changes. Change is always tries and government sector in improving the gov- hard. However, there is no growth without change. ernance of science. Our country needs bright, modern academia. I wel- I wish you a productive year in advancing science come all changes that raise the quality and compet- for better Latvia! Let the work begin! 5 Yearbook 2020 OJĀRS SPĀRĪTIS, PRESIDENT OF THE LATVIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dear colleagues throughout the broad world of science, Trying to imagine the scale of cosmic dimensions investigating, how we look at global challenges in and comparing these to the scale of the Earth and IT, advances in the fields of translation, infographics its sub-units, even the time our planet has existed and artificial intelligence. Latvian energy specialists might subjectively seem to be small. Why? Because are successfully developing energy saving pro- today the rate at which information is doubling and grammes and are researching alternative forms of technology is advancing is surprisingly rapid; this energy. Our scientists participate in the internation- engenders a feeling that time is “tightening up”, or al investigation of how to mitigate climate change that it has started to pass faster. There is some truth and reduce CO2 emissions, obtaining thereby new in this view. insights; they have also made new discoveries in Today we spend a significant part of our working the fields of smart materials, biomedicine, genetics life devoted to science, such that we may feel privi- and pharmacology, as well as in space exploration. leged to belong to a particular social group, to be Shortages of healthy food and its uneven distribu- part of a special community that has the privilege tion throughout the world is no secret. However, of being at the epicentre of the birth of new theo- Latvia, as one of the Baltic States, is a country with ries, new experiences, experiments without end, and long-standing agricultural and horticultural tradi- new knowledge. This feeling is unusually appealing, tions and is making great strides in the develop- since it allows us to be present at events described ment of organic food technology. Study of the phys- in Genesis, Chapter 1, to experience these and our- ical and chemical properties of wood, as well as selves to write a continuation of this chapter. Our understanding bacterial protection issues, has al- enthusiasm, furthermore, is fuelled by awareness lowed the development of promising building and that our work is progressing not only at one insti- insulating materials, as well as medicines and prod- tute, university, or even at national level, but also ucts for plant protection. that, through global collaboration, we are collec- Science in the 21st century transcends national tively augmenting the knowledge pool of all man- borders and has become an evolving international kind. challenge for civilization. Thus, the goal of prosper- This new issue of the Yearbook of the Latvian Acad- ity of a science-educated society applies not only emy of Sciences will reach its recipients early in for our country, but also for all humanity, on whose 2020, and with it we wish to reach out to scientists behalf we address everyone as potential partners in and other partners – administrators in education solving common scientific problems. It is only and science, both in Europe and elsewhere through- through cooperation that science can advance in a out the world – to inform them what our country is globalised world. Translated by Eduards Bruno Deksnis 7 Latvian Academy of Sciences GLIMPSES ON INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION OF THE LATVIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Ilze Trapenciere, Advisor to the President on the International Affairs; Head of the International Department, Latvian Academy of Sciences International relations are probably the only focus States, Norway and Switzerland. The objective of the work of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LAS), of the EASAC is to direct the joint competencies where many activities are carried