Clay minerals in the Norwegian Sea and Fram Strait, investigation from sediment traps and cores

The grain size distribution and clay mineral composition of lithogenic particles of ice-rafted material, sinking matter, surface sediments, as well as from deep-sea cores are analysed. The samples were collected in the Fram Strait, the Arctic Ocean, and the Norwegian Sea during several expeditions with the research vessels "Polarstern", "Meteor" and "Poseidon", and Norwegian rearch vessels. Sinking matter was caught with sediment traps, fitted with timer-controlled sample changers, which had been deployde in the sea for usually one year.

Physical oceanography during POLARSTERN cruise ARK-XVIII/1a

In spite of the lack of bottom reaching convection in the Greenland Sea since the 1980s, convection continues to ventilate the Greenland Gyre down to intermediate depth. The variability of this ventilation activity is determined here annually for eight winters according to a multiple criteria catalogue, applied to annual summer conductivity-temperature-depth transects along 75°N. The comparison of the ventilation depths with the meteorological forcing, the ice cover, and the stratification of the water column shows the decisive influence of the hydrographic structure in the upper and intermediate layers. Ice, on the other hand, is not necessary for convection to occur. Ice formation does not even lead to particularly deep convection. A stability maximum, which currently dominates the vertical structure of the water column at medium depth, limits the ventilation depths effectively.

GPCR modulation by RAMPs

Our conceptual understanding of the molecular architecture of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) has transformed over the last decade. Once considered as largely independent functional units (aside from their interaction with the G-protein itself), it is now clear that a single GPCR is but part of a multifaceted signaling complex, each component providing an additional layer of sophistication. Receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) provide a notable example of proteins that interact with GPCRs to modify their function. They act as pharmacological switches, modifying GPCR pharmacology for a particular subset of receptors. However, there is accumulating evidence that these ubiquitous proteins have a broader role, regulating signaling and receptor trafficking. This article aims to provide the reader with a comprehensive appraisal of RAMP literature and perhaps some insight into the impact that their discovery has had on those who study GPCRs. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are dieting-related cognitive impairments a function of iron status?

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the impairments in cognitive function observed in unsupported dieting are related to compromised Fe status. During a non-clinical intervention, overweight participants (age: 18-45 years, BMI: 25-30 kg/m2) either participated in a commercially available weight-loss regimen (n 14), dieted without support (n 17) or acted as a non-dieting control group (n 14) for a period of 8 weeks. Measurements of cognitive function and blood chemistry were taken at a pre-diet baseline, after 1 week and 8 weeks of dieting. After 1 week, unsupported dieters displayed impaired verbal memory, executive function and slower reaction speeds than the other two groups, this difference disappearing by the end of the study. There were no significant group-related changes in blood chemistry over the course of the study, although there were group-related changes in a number of self-reported food-related cognitions. In conclusion, impaired cognition among unsupported dieters is not due to compromised Fe status and is most likely to result from psychological variables. © 2012 The Authors.

Energia-válaszút előtt

Bernard Frois arra kért, hogy néhány rendhagyó, sőt vitatható megjegyzést tegyek. Kérésének nagyon szívesen teszek eleget, mivel az intellektuális provokatőr szerepe mindig is a kedvencem volt. Néhány következtetésem, így meggyőződésem is ellenkezik számos elvárással, ígérettel és előrejelzéssel, melyeket a következő két napban hallanak majd: megrögzött szkeptikusként egyelőre nem vagyok meggyőződve a fényes kilátásokról, azoknak az eljárásoknak és újításoknak a lehetséges léptékéről és üteméről, amelyeket a következő előadások majd fölmagasztalnak. Szeretnék megértetni Önökkel fél tucat alapvető tényt, amelyek egytől-egyig axiómákon, nem pedig hiú ábrándokon alapulnak, és amelyek nem egy-egy előnyben részesített megoldás pártolásáról szólnak. Minden esetben szolgálok legalább egy vagy két egyszerű, és reményeim szerint megjegyezhető számszerű adattal annak érdekében, hogy a legfontosabb pontokat kiemeljem.