Climatic variations in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea area

A very dry climate which prevailed during the last glacial maximum of the Pleistocene from India to the Sahara, was replaced by variable weather conditions with alternating more or less humid phases, starting from the Pleistocene-Holocene transition period and lasting up to about 3000 years ago, when present arid conditions set in. A particularly wet phase is recognized throughout the region some 5000 years ago. Phase shifts within the region and in particular changes in rain distribution patterns, are interpreted as due to shifting spheres of influence of the monsoonal circulation, of Atlantic depressions and moisture originating from the Mediterranean Sea. The condition of the Mediterranean Sea itself, which is influenced by runoff and melt waters from the European Continent and by the Nile floods, as well as by the eustatic sea-level changes, is not a good indicator of local climate conditions.     

Synaptic plasticity

Synaptic plasticity is manifested by long-lasting changes in synaptic potency. Increased potency is of special importance in relation to the neural basis of memory. Even mild repetitive stimulation evokes large and prolonged potentiations of hippocampal synapses, as is revealed by electrical recording either in vivo or in vitro. More importantly there is a matching hypertrophy of the synaptic spines on the dendrites of hippocampal granule cells, as is shown by most convincing electronmicrographs. The increase is to about 40% some 2 h after a mild stimulation (900 impulses) and there was relatively little decline by 23 h. There is brief reference to the metabolic processes that could be involved in this plastic response.     

Metallisch leitende Polymere — Jagdgründe für Solitonen?

Polyacetylene is presented as the prototype of a metallic conducting polymer. The concepts of one-dimensional metal physics are illustrated and special attention is drawn to a structural defect called “soliton”. Electrical, magnetic, and optical experiments connected with solitons are discussed. The authors' opinion is expressed that present experimental results do not yet furnish strong evidence for the existence of solitons in polyacetylene, but that the soliton idea is a fruitful stimulus for further investigations and novel applications.