Laptev Sea System: the Transpolar System of the Arctic Ocean

GEOMAR Laptev Sea Program was described by Heidi Kassens. Heidi presented an overview of the Russian-German erman research project „Laptev Sea System: the Transpolar System of the Arctic Ocean" which aims to assess how climate change will affect the highly sensitive Arctic environment and in how far the changes will be of consequence for Europe. Research areas are the Laptev Sea as the most important area of sea-ice production and the Fram Strait as the only deepwater and intermediate water connection between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (Figure 13). The Transpolar Drift connects both regions. At the same time, the Russian partner institution, the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, St. Petersburg, implements multidisciplinary investigations in the Central Arctic Ocean as the key research topic of their research program „Arctic Basin Cluster". She presented some scientific highlights of the TRANSDRIFT expeditions to the Laptev Sea and she informed about the upcoming expedition TRANSDRIFT XXII onboard Viktor Buynitskiy in August and September 2014. She is proposing a NABOS/System-Laptev-Sea workshop in 2015 to merge the results of the projects. Figure 13: Station map of TRANSDRIFT XXI (22.8. – 20.9.2013

Friedrich Adolph Wilhelm Diesterweg: Briefe, amtliche Schreiben und Lebensdokumente aus den Jahren 1810 bis 1832. (Sämtliche Werke, II. Abteilung, Bd. 23.) Bearb. v. Sylvia Schütze u. Mitarb. v. Gaby Herchert, Elisabeth Gutjahr und Klaus Goebel. Hrsg. v. Klaus Goebel. Neuwied: Luchterhand 2003. 789 S., EUR 55,–. [Rezension]

Rezension zu: Friedrich Adolph Wilhelm Diesterweg: Briefe, amtliche Schreiben und Lebensdokumente aus den Jahren 1810 bis 1832. (Sämtliche Werke, II. Abteilung, Bd. 23.) Bearb. v. Sylvia Schütze u. Mitarb. v. Gaby Herchert, Elisabeth Gutjahr und Klaus Goebel. Hrsg. v. Klaus Goebel. Neuwied: Luchterhand 2003. 789 S., EUR 55,

A Case for Soft Systems Methodology: Information Analysis and Information Systems Evaluation During Organizational Change

The complex relationship between organizations, information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) indicates that changes to the organization are likely to have an effect on the usefulness of existing IS and the success of IS projects. Information needs of new and existing users have to be assessed and organizational IS evaluated for their capability to satisfy these needs. This paper describes a real world case study during which Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) was used for information analysis and IS evaluation during organizational change. The research indicates that the methodology provides a suitable framework for inquiry in a complex situation, where roles are ill-defined and political tensions are rife. The use of SSM helped the researcher make sense of the situation under consideration and provided positive, concrete outcomes for the case study organization

An Experimental Test of Trauma-Relevant Cue Exposure and Desire for Alcohol among Adolescents

A burgeoning literature suggests a linkage between adolescent traumatic event exposure and problematic alcohol use. Research conducted with adults indicates that exposure to trauma-relevant cues elicits a desire to drink; however, no work has examined this association among adolescents. The current study was designed to build upon and extend this line of work. Participants were 72 community-recruited adolescents (Mage = 16.19; 34.7% girls). Trauma-exposed (n = 47) and non-exposed (n = 25) youth were assigned to either a 3-minute experimental (voluntary hyperventilation) or control task (low-arousal picture viewing). Desire to drink was assessed (1) prior to task assignment, and (2) after task completion. An analysis of covariance was utilized to assess post-task desire to drink as a function of group (trauma; no trauma) and task (experimental; control) after accounting for variance associated with baseline desire, negative affect, and frequency of alcohol consumption. Contrary to hypotheses, results indicated no differences in the desire to drink as a function of group, task, or the interaction. Findings are discussed in terms of study design and future efforts to forward this line of work

Regulation of phosphate and sugar transporters during the mycorrhizal symbiosis in response to phosphate availability and accessibility

[no abstract

Evolution of postglacial vegetation in the Western Laptev Sea region (Siberian Arctic)

On the basis of a detailed study of the pollen-spore spectra and a detailed radiocarbon chronology of a sediment core obtained from the western outer Laptev Sea shelf, the long-term and high-resolution changes of vegetation in the northwestern Laptev Sea region were reconstructed for the last 12.0 cal. ka. Three major phases in the development of paleoenvironments and vegetation on the surrounding hinterland and the exposed Laptev Sea shelf were recognized. The period between 12.0 and 10.3 cal. ka BP was characterized by predominance of grass-sedge and moss tundra. Rapid expansion of herbaceous tundra with dwarf birch and alder started at about 10.3 and lasted until 8.0 cal. ka. Pollen spectra from this time interval evidence the warmest and most favorable climate conditions. After 8.0 cal. ka mosses and lichen vegetation with scare herbs typical for the modern arctic tundra dominated. German: Auf der Grundlage detaillierter Pollen- und Sporenspektren aus einem 14C-datierten Sedimentkern vom äußeren Schelf des westlichen Laptewmeeres wurden die langfristigen und hochaufgelösten Veränderungen der Vegetation in den letzten 12 cal. ka in der nordwestlichen Laptewmeer-Region rekonstruiert. Es wurden drei Hauptphasen der Entwicklung von Umwelt und Vegetation im umgebenden Hinterland erkannt. Die Zeit zwischen 12,0 und 10,3 cal. ka BP war charakterisiert durch Riedgras- und Moos-Tundra. Rasche Ausdehnung der Kraut-Tundra mit Zwergbirke und Erle begann etwa um 10,3 cal. ka und dauerte bis 8,0 cal. ka. Pollenspektren aus diesem Zeitintervall beschreiben die wärmsten und besten Klimabedingungen. Nach 8,0 cal. ka dominierte die für die heutige arktische Tundra typische Moos- und Flechtenvegetation mit wenigen Kräutern