Rare element concentrations measured on filtered seawater of water bottle samples during POLARSTRERN cruise ANT-XXIV/3 (GIPY5)

The concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) in seawater display systematic variations related to weathering inputs, particle scavenging and water mass histories. Here we investigate the REE concentrations of water column profiles in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, a key region of the global circulation and primary production. The data reveal a pronounced contrast between the vertical profiles in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and those to the south of the ACC in the Weddell Gyre (WG). The ACC profiles exhibit the typical increase of REE concentrations with water depth and a change in the shape of the profiles from near linear for the light REEs to more convex for the heavy REEs. In contrast, the WG profiles exhibit high REE concentrations throughout the water column with only the near surface samples showing slightly reduced concentrations indicative of particle scavenging. Seawater normalised REE patterns reveal the strong remineralisation signal in the ACC with the light REEs preferentially removed in surface waters and the mirror image pattern of their preferential release in deep waters. In the WG the patterns are relatively homogenous reflecting the prevalence of well-mixed Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW) that follows shoaling isopycnals in the region. In the WG particle scavenging of REEs is comparatively small and limited to the summer months by light limitation and winter sea ice cover. Considering the surface water depletion compared to LCDW and that the surface waters of the WG are replaced every few years, the removal rate is estimated to be on the order of 1 nmol/m3/yr for La and Nd. The negative cerium anomalies observed in deep waters are some of the strongest found globally with only the deepest waters in parts of the Pacific having stronger anomalies. These deep waters have been isolated from fresh continental REE inputs during their long journey through the abyssal Indo-Pacific ocean and suggests that the high REE concentrations found in the ACC and WG reflect contributions from old deep waters.

Detection of Biological CO2 and 1,3-Pentadiene Using Non-refrigerated Low-Cost MWIR Detectors

The early detection of spoiling metabolic products in contaminated food is a very important tool to control quality. Some volatile compounds produce unpleasant odours at very low concentrations, making their early detection very challenging. This is the case of 1,3-pentadiene produced by microorganisms through decarboxylation of the preservative sorbate. In this work, we have developed a methodology to use the data produced by a low-cost, compact MWIR (Mid-Wave IR) spectrometry device without moving parts, which is based on a linear array of 128 elements of VPD PbSe coupled to a linear variable filter (LVF) working in the spectral range between 3 and 4.6 ?m. This device is able to analyze food headspace gases through dedicated sample presentation setup. This methodology enables the detection of CO2 and the volatile compound 1,3-pentadiene, as compared to synthetic patrons. Data analysis is based on an automated multidimensional dynamic processing of the MWIR spectra. Principal component and discriminant analysis allow segregating between four yeast strains including producers and no producers. The segregation power is accounted as a measure of the discrimination quality.

Identification of Inositol 1,3,4-Trisphosphate 5-Kinase and Inositol 1,3,4,5-Tetrakisphosphate 6-Kinase in Immature Soybean Seeds

In extracts of immature soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) seeds inositol tetrakisphosphate was formed from [3H]inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate but not from [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. Inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate kinase was purified to a specific activity of 3.55 min−1 mg−1 by polyethylenimine clarification and anion-exchange chromatography. The partially purified enzyme converted [3H]inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate to inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate as the major product and inositol 1,3,4,6- and/or 1,2,3,4-tetrakisphosphate as the minor product. Subsequent experiments revealed a separate inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate 6-kinase activity, which could link these enzymes to inositol hexakisphosphate synthesis via the previously reported inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate 2-kinase. The apparent Km values for inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate kinase were 200 ± 0 nm for inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate and 171 ± 4 μm for ATP, and the reaction was not reversible. The kinetics were such that no activity could be detected using unlabeled inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate and [γ-32P]ATP, which suggested that other kinases may have been observed when less purified fractions were incubated with radiolabeled ATP. Inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate kinase was nonspecifically inhibited more than 80% by various inositol polyphosphates at a concentration of 100 μm.

The fifth epidermal growth factor-like domain of thrombomodulin does not have an epidermal growth factor-like disulfide bonding pattern.

The disulfide bonding pattern of the fourth and fifth epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains within the smallest active fragment of thrombomodulin have been determined. In previous work, this fragment was expressed and purified to homogeneity, and its cofactor activity, as measured by Kcat for thrombin activation of protein C, was the same as that for full-length thrombomodulin. CNBr cleavage at the single methionine in the connecting region between the domains and subsequent deglycosylation yielded the individual EGF-like domains. The disulfide bonds were mapped by partial reduction with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine according to the method of Gray [Gray, W. R. (1993) Protein Sci. 2, 1732-1748], which provides unambiguous results. The disulfide bonding pattern of the fourth EGF-like domain was (1-3, 2-4, 5-6), which is the same as that found previously in EGF and in a synthetic version of the fourth EGF-like domain. Surprisingly, the disulfide bonding pattern of the fifth domain was (1-2, 3-4, 5-6), which is unlike that found in EGF or in any other EGF-like domain analyzed so far. This result is in line with an earlier observation that the (1-2, 3-4, 5-6) isomer bound to thrombin more tightly than the EGF-like (1-3, 2-4, 5-6) isomer. The observation that not all EGF-like domains have an EGF-like disulfide bonding pattern reveals an additional element of diversity in the structure of EGF-like domains.

7-Chloro-3-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine S,S-dioxide (IDRA 21), a congener of aniracetam, potently abates pharmacologically induced cognitive impairments in patas monkeys.

We report here on the ability of IDRA 21 and aniracetam, two negative allosteric modulators of glutamate-induced DL-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor desensitization, to attenuate alprazolam-induced learning deficit in patas monkeys working in a complex behavioral task. In one component of a multiple schedule (repeated acquisition or "learning"), patas monkeys acquired a different four-response chain each session by responding sequentially on three keys in the presence of four discriminative stimuli (geometric forms or numerals). In the other component (performance) the four-response chain was the same each session. The response chain in each component was maintained by food presentation under a fixed-ratio schedule. When alprazolam (0.1 or 0.32 mg/kg p.o.) was administered alone, this full allosteric modulator of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors produced large decreases in the response rate and accuracy in the learning component of the task. IDRA 21 (3 or 5.6 mg/kg p.o.) and aniracetam (30 mg/kg p.o.) administered 60 min before alprazolam, having no effect when given alone, antagonized the large disruptive effects of alprazolam on learning. From dose-response studies, it can be estimated that IDRA 21 is approximately 10-fold more potent than aniracetam in antagonizing alprazolam-induced learning deficit. We conclude that IDRA 21, a chemically unrelated pharmacological congener of aniracetam, improves learning deficit induced in patas monkeys by the increase of GABAergic tone elicited by alprazolam. Very likely IDRA 21 exerts its behavioral effects by antagonizing AMPA receptor desensitization.

Age determination of sediments of Site LO09-14 (Table 1)

A composite record (LO09-14) of three sediment cores from the subpolar North Atlantic (Reykjanes Ridge) was investigated in order to assess surface ocean variability during the last 11 kyr. The core site is today partly under the influence of the Irminger Current (IC), a branch of the North Atlantic Drift continuing northwestward around Iceland. However, it is also proximal to the Sub-Arctic Front (SAF) that may cause extra dynamic hydrographic conditions. We used statistical methods applied to the fossil assemblages of diatoms to reconstruct quantitative sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Our investigations give evidence for different regional signatures of Holocene surface oceanographic changes in the North Atlantic. Core LO09-14 reveal relatively low and highly variable SSTs during the early Holocene, indicating a weak IC and increased advection of subpolar water over the site. A mid-Holocene thermal optimum with a strong IC occurs from 7.5 to 5 kyr and is followed by cooler and more stable late Holocene surface conditions. Several intervals throughout the Holocene are dominated by the diatom species Rhizosolenia borealis, which we suggest indicates proximity to a strongly defined convergence front, most likely the SAF. Several coolings, reflecting southeastward advection of cold and ice-bearing waters, occur at 10.4, 9.8, 8.3, 7.9, 6.4, 4.7, 4.3 and 2.8 kyr. The cooling events recorded in the LO09-14 SSTs correlate well with both other surface records from the area and the NADW reductions observed at ODP Site 980 indicating a surface-deepwater linkage through the Holocene.