(Table 1, page 126) Concentration of elements in Fe and Mn rich pisoliths (nodules) from Lake Storsjoen, South Norway

A detailed description of the ores of Lake Storsjoen was given by Vogt J. H. L., 1915 who pointed out that the ores may be divided into two principal types; first, iron ore with 2% or less of manganese (ex: Ertemalm), and, second, ores with manganese contents of up to 30% (ex: Korinter). The iron-rich ore sometimes occurs as a conglomerate embedded in manganese-rich ores, clearly demonstrating that two distinctly different precipitates are involved. In the iron-rich ore, a concentric structure is common of which light brown layers of loose, almost dusty material alternate with hard and brittle black layers, the thickness of each being 0.5 mm or less. The analyses presented in this paper seem to demonstrate that the composition of the sedimentary ores of Lake Storsjden could result from fluctuations in the composition of ground waters feeding the lake.

(Figure 1 and 2) Phosphorus pools in the investigated sediments quantified by SEDEX sequential extraction and distribution of recovered 33P spike between sedimentary P pools after incubation

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for life. In the ocean, phosphorus burial regulates marine primary production**1, 2. Phosphorus is removed from the ocean by sedimentation of organic matter, and the subsequent conversion of organic phosphorus to phosphate minerals such as apatite, and ultimately phosphorite deposits**3, 4. Bacteria are thought to mediate these processes**5, but the mechanism of sequestration has remained unclear. Here, we present results from laboratory incubations in which we labelled organic-rich sediments from the Benguela upwelling system, Namibia, with a 33P-radiotracer, and tracked the fate of the phosphorus. We show that under both anoxic and oxic conditions, large sulphide-oxidizing bacteria accumulate 33P in their cells, and catalyse the nearly instantaneous conversion of phosphate to apatite. Apatite formation was greatest under anoxic conditions. Nutrient analyses of Namibian upwelling waters and sediments suggest that the rate of phosphate-to-apatite conversion beneath anoxic bottom waters exceeds the rate of phosphorus release during organic matter mineralization in the upper sediment layers. We suggest that bacterial apatite formation is a significant phosphorus sink under anoxic bottom-water conditions. Expanding oxygen minimum zones are projected in simulations of future climate change**6, potentially increasing sequestration of marine phosphate, and restricting marine productivity.

(Table 1) Age determination of sediment core BC5, Golf of Lion

Hitherto unknown abundance peaks of left coiling (l.c.) Neogloboquadrina pachyderma from a Gulf of Lions piston core indicate that abrupt cold spells associated with Atlantic Heinrich events affected the Mediterranean. N. pachyderma (l.c.) is typical of (sub) polar waters in the open ocean. The southern edge of its glacial North Atlantic bioprovince reached south Portugal. Only trace abundances of N. pachyderma (l.c.) are known from Quaternary Mediterranean sediments, suggesting that no significant "invasions" occured via the Strait of Gibraltar. The Gulf of Lions abundance peaks therefore seem to reflect area-specific thriving of a normally rare but indigenous taxon in the western Mediterranean through local favorable habitat development. The general planktonic foraminiferal record suggests that the basic hydrographic regime in the Gulf of Lions, with wintertime deep convective overturn, was relatively stable over the past 60 kyr. Under these conditions, high abundances of N. pachyderma (l.c.) would essentially imply temperature reductions of the order of 5°-8° relative to the present.

(Table 1) Oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of benthic foraminifera of DSDP Holes 82-563

Previous studies of benthic foraminiferal isotopic composition have demonstrated that a latest Eocene-earliest Oligocene benthic foraminiferal d18O increase occurred in the Pacific, Southern and Atlantic Oceans (Douglas and Savin, 1973, doi:10.2973/dsdp.proc.17.120.1973; Savin et al., 1977, doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1975)86<1499:TMP>2.0.CO;2; Shackleton and Kennett, 1975, doi:10.2973/dsdp.proc.29.117.1975; Kennett and Shackleton, 1976, doi:10.1038/260513a0; Savin, 1977, doi:10.1146/annurev.ea.05.050177.001535; Keigwin, 1980, doi:10.1038/287722a0; Boersma and Shackleton, 1979, doi:10.2973/dsdp.proc.39.139.1977; Miller and Curry, 1982, doi:10.1038/296347a0; Miller et al., 1985, doi:10.2973/dsdp.proc.80.113.1985). A Middle Miocene d18O increase has been noted in the Pacific, Southern and South Atlantic Oceans (Douglas and Savin, 1973, doi:10.2973/dsdp.proc.17.120.1973; Savin et al., 1975, doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1975)86<1499:TMP>2.0.CO;2; Shackleton and Kennett, 1975, doi:10.2973/dsdp.proc.29.117.1975; Boersma and Shackleton, 1979, doi:10.2973/dsdp.proc.39.139.1977; Woodruff et al., 1981, doi:10.1126/science.212.4495.665; Savin et al., 1981, doi:10.1016/0377-8398(81)90031-1; and tentatively identified in the North Atlantic (Blanc et al., 1980, doi:10.1038/283553a0; Blanc and Duplessy, 1982, doi:10.1016/0198-0149(82)90033-4). Due to the incomplete nature of the North Atlantic stratigraphical record, however, the Oligocene to Middle Miocene isotopic record (Moore et al., 1978, Miller and Tucholke, 1983) of this ocean is poorly understood. In the modern ocean, the North Atlantic and its marginal seas has a critical role in abyssal circulation, influencing deep- and bottom-water hydrography as far away as the North Pacific (Reid and Lynn, 1971, doi:10.1016/0011-7471(71)90094-5; Worthington, 1976; Reid, 1971, doi:10.1016/0198-0149(79)90064-5). We now report oxygen isotope measurements on Oligocene to Middle Miocene (12-36 Myr BP) benthic foraminifera in the western North Atlantic which show two periods of enriched 18O values: early Oligocene and early Middle Miocene. These enriched intervals are interpreted as resulting, in part, from the build-up of continental ice sheets. The Oligocene to Middle Miocene d13C record shows three cycles of enrichment and depletion of large enough magnitude to be useful for time-Stratigraphical correlations. Within the biostratigraphical age resolution, d18O and d13C records correlate with records from other oceans, helping to establish a useful Tertiary isotopic stratigraphy. An Atlantic-Pacific d13C contrast of 0.3-0.9 per mil during the latest Oligocene to Middle Miocene (12-26 Myr BP) indicates North Atlantic deep and bottom-water production analogous to modern North Atlantic deep water (NADW).

(Table 1) Geochemistry of Sapropels of the Mediterranean Sea

Sapropels -organic-matter rich layers- are common in Neogene sediments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The formation of these layers has been attributed to climate-related increases in organic-matter production (Calvert et al., 1992, doi:10.1038/359223a0; Rossignol-Strick et al., 1982, doi:10.1038/295105a0; Rohling, 1994, doi:10.1016/0025-3227(94)90202-X) and increased organic-matter preservation due to oxygen depletion in more stagnant bottom waters (Rossignol-Strick et al., 1982, doi:10.1038/295105a0; Rohling, 1994, doi:10.1016/0025-3227(94)90202-X). Here we report that eastern Mediterranean Pliocene sapropels (Emeis et al., 1996, doi:10.2973/odp.proc.ir.160.102.1996) contain molecular fossils of a compound (isorenieratene) known to be synthesized by photosynthetic green sulphur bacteria, suggesting that sulphidic (euxinic) -and therefore anoxic- conditions prevailed in the photic zone of the water column. These sapropels also have a high trace-metal content, which is probably due to the efficient scavenging of these metals by precipitating sulphides in a euxinic water column. The abundance and sulphur-isotope composition of pyrite are consistent with iron sulphide formation in the water column. We conclude that basin-wide water-column euxinia occurred over substantial periods during Pliocene sapropel formation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and that the ultimate degradation of the increased organic-matter production was strongly influential in generating and sustaining the euxinic conditions.

(Table 1, page 376), Composition of manganese deposits from the Gulf of Aden and the Carlsberg Ridge

Iron-manganese nodules from the ocean floor have been extensively studied. But, because of the fine grain size of the particles of the nodules, structural identification by X-ray and electron diffraction techniques is difficult and the mineralogy of the iron oxide phase has not been well characterized. The observation of the Mössbauer spectrum-in which each nucleus absorbs gamma-rays independently-is not limited by particle size in the same way as is the observation of Bragg peaks in diffraction measurements, in which radiation must be scattered coherently from a large number of atoms. The magnetic hyperfine splitting in the Mössbauer spectrum of magnetic materials is affected, however, when the particles are so small that they become superparamagnetic. We describe here an investigation using the 57Fe Mössbauer effect of two iron-manganese nodules in which the iron oxide phase could not be detected by X-ray or electron diffraction.

Mutations in CTC1, Encoding Conserved Telomere Maintenance Component 1, Cause Coats Plus

Coats plus is a highly pleiotropic disorder particularly affecting the eye, brain, bone and gastrointestinal tract. Here, we show that Coats plus results from mutations in CTC1, encoding conserved telomere maintenance component 1, a member of the mammalian homolog of the yeast heterotrimeric CST telomeric capping complex. Consistent with the observation of shortened telomeres in an Arabidopsis CTC1 mutant and the phenotypic overlap of Coats plus with the telomeric maintenance disorders comprising dyskeratosis congenita, we observed shortened telomeres in three individuals with Coats plus and an increase in spontaneous γH2AX-positive cells in cell lines derived from two affected individuals. CTC1 is also a subunit of the α-accessory factor (AAF) complex, stimulating the activity of DNA polymerase-α primase, the only enzyme known to initiate DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. Thus, CTC1 may have a function in DNA metabolism that is necessary for but not specific to telomeric integrity.

Accelerated age-related olfactory decline among type 1 Usher patients

Usher Syndrome (USH) is a rare disease with hearing loss, retinitis pigmentosa and, sometimes, vestibular dysfunction. A phenotype heterogeneity is reported. Recent evidence indicates that USH is likely to belong to an emerging class of sensory ciliopathies. Olfaction has recently been implicated in ciliopathies, but the scarce literature about olfaction in USH show conflicting results. We aim to evaluate olfactory impairment as a possible clinical manifestation of USH. Prospective clinical study that included 65 patients with USH and 65 normal age-gender-smoking-habits pair matched subjects. A cross culturally validated version of the Sniffin' Sticks olfaction test was used. Young patients with USH have significantly better olfactory scores than healthy controls. We observe that USH type 1 have a faster ageing olfactory decrease than what happens in healthy subjects, leading to significantly lower olfactory scores in older USH1 patients. Moreover, USH type 1 patients showed significantly higher olfactory scores than USH type 2, what can help distinguishing them. Olfaction represents an attractive tool for USH type classification and pre diagnostic screening due to the low cost and non-invasive nature of the testing. Olfactory dysfunction should be considered among the spectrum of clinical manifestations of Usher syndrome.