Roxana, my sister is now in hospital with a knee ski injury. I can't wait to see you back, Roxi. Keep it up!

Moving on: New Blog Address

:: www.masariu.com :: Dan Masariu Blog

"Kiss of Death" - Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2004

Proteins represent life base.
In 2004, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Aaron Ciechanover (Israel), Avram Hershko (Hungary) and Irwin Rose (USA) "for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation".


Ubiquitin - a common polypeptide that represents the "kiss of death".

Most of the cellular mass is made up of proteins which take part in the cell structure and perform the majority of cell functions. For a long time, the degradation process had been considered less important, being made without energy expenses when the protein would be denatured.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the authors succeeded in showing that protein degradation in cells takes place in a series of step-wise reactions that result in the proteins to be destroyed being labelled with the polypeptide ubiquitin. Proteins so labelled are then broken down – degraded – rapidly in cellular "waste disposers" called proteasomes. This process enables the cell to break down unwanted proteins with high specificity, and it is this regulation that requires energy.
Proteins marked with ubiquitin are doomed, touched by "the kiss of death" if you will.

The consequences of this discovery give us hope that we'll be able to control the degradation process of the proteins by controlling the ubiquitins. This aspect is already in study for the treatment of different types of cancer, immune disorders and aging phenomenon.

In the last few years, the Chemistry Nobel Prizes could have been awarded for Medicine or Physiology, as direct consequences are 100% medical. I think that the jury's choice is (almost) of the same importance as the scientific works they have to evaluate, because they influence the trends in future research areas.

How to Write An Article

I started to enjoy writing here.. I never wrote a diary, so I guess I just discovered the benefits of writing down my thoughts. Cool, but how?
Here is a list that I compiled after reading more articles on how to write one:

Get over any "fear" you have of writing. The process is easy and rewarding. Begin writing your article for the most likely person interested.

• Pick a subject and organize your thoughts.
• Write one on a topic that your targeted readers are already interested in. Find that topic by visiting specific forums and looking for frequent topics and problems.
• Be a problem solver.

• Start with a quick outline to help you stay focused and organized.

• Write using short sentences and paragraphs.

• Don't use big words.

• Choose the title.
• The best thing to do when trying to come up with an article title is to write the biggest benefit that your reader will receive while they are reading it.
• Don't choose just one title, write down several different ones.

• The first paragraph should quickly identify the purpose and content of the article.

• The last paragraph should be a call for action or a conclusion.

• Write each paragraph deductively. That is, make your point immediately and follow up with supporting information.

• Carefully check grammar and spelling (do NOT rely on your word processor spell checker - remember those checkers still cannot correct "there" to "their" if required).
  

My sources were Robert Sullivan and Rich Hamilton, Jr.

MTB in Romania - Campina

I'll never forget this one day trip to Campina / Valea Doftanei. We planned the route in the parking lot that Saturday morning and it came out to be much longer than we expected. We rode the bikes for more than 100 km of ups and downs in the mountains, with rain clouds in the back and night coming in early (it was springtime). The maps we had weren't good enough, so we came out of the mountains at about 30 km away from were we had left the car. Marching back on the public road in the middle of the night, my front fork failed and the police got us for having no frontlights. Enough about it!

Does Stress Increase EQ?

EQ stands for "emotional intelligence quotient" and seems to be directly involved in one's personal success, compared to IQ ("EQ gets you through life vs. IQ gets you through school").

More info on EQ:

• Distinctions: EQ v. IQ
• Emotional Intelligence (PDF)

Cortisone hormone is released in stress conditions. Cortisol (hydrocortisone) is a chemical compound with similar effects, used as a treatment in some diseases. Children taking cortisol in a long-term cure are much more "mature" compared to other children of the same age, so we could conclude that cortisol/cortisone stimulates EQ. The next logical step would be that stress increases EQ, which would be of a major importance in child education.
This is not a scientific paper, it's just a thought. Thank you, Ana!

Love It and It Will Love You Back

No, this is wrong when it comes to women :). It's about choosing the right sports equipment and taking good care of it. Salomon (brand owned by Adidas AG) has a website that is not listed in Google database, aimed to provide manuals required for their staff handling skis. Here you can find manuals (in PDF) on choosing the right skis, maintenance and service not only for skis, but also for ski boots, bindings and helmets. Although the manuals are specific to Salomon products, there are many general-purpose things. I know from MTB that choosing the right equipment helps you develop your skills much quicker, and nobody takes care of it like yourself. [Salomon Shop Manuals]

MTB in Romania - Baiului

As my wallpaper pictures cycle every day, this morning I have a picture from a MTB trip in Mt. Baiului, so I thought to share some of them. Mt. Baiului area is perfect for a one day XC ride. Almost perfect actually, because of the sheepfolds' dogs and some wild bears.. True stories.