A comparison between whole transcript and 3' RNA sequencing methods using Kapa and Lexogen library preparation methods.

Background3' RNA sequencing provides an alternative to whole transcript analysis. However, we do not know a priori the relative advantage of each method. Thus, a comprehensive comparison between the whole transcript and the 3' method is needed to determine their relative merits. To this end, we used two commercially available library preparation kits, the KAPA Stranded mRNA-Seq kit (traditional method) and the Lexogen QuantSeq 3' mRNA-Seq kit (3' method), to prepare libraries from mouse liver RNA. We then sequenced and analyzed the libraries to determine the advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches.ResultsWe found that the traditional whole transcript method and the 3' RNA-Seq method had similar levels of reproducibility. As expected, the whole transcript method assigned more reads to longer transcripts, while the 3' method assigned roughly equal numbers of reads to transcripts regardless of their lengths. We found that the 3' RNA-Seq method detected more short transcripts than the whole transcript method. With regard to differential expression analysis, we found that the whole transcript method detected more differentially expressed genes, regardless of the level of sequencing depth.ConclusionsThe 3' RNA-Seq method was better able to detect short transcripts, while the whole transcript RNA-Seq was able to detect more differentially expressed genes. Thus, both approaches have relative advantages and should be selected based on the goals of the experiment

Making a Killing: Science Fiction Through the Lens of Nordic Noir in 'Crocodile' and 'Hated in the Nation'

Crime stories originating from Northern Europe have enjoyed critical and, to varying degrees, commercial success in the fields of cinema, television and literature, spawning translations, adaptations, and even international imitations paying visible homage to the distinctive aesthetic and thematic characteristics of the form, which have become so recognisable they have evolved into a generic type of their own – ‘Nordic Noir’. In this article, Dan Ward examines Black Mirror's conspicuous mobilisation of the conventions of Nordic Noir in two distinctive episodes. Drawing on a range of critical perspectives and noteworthy examples of the genre, Ward investigates the repurposing of Scandinavian crime fiction's familiar social critique to contemporary concerns around creeping surveillance and the rise of corporate technocracy in neoliberal democracies

Foot and Mouth Disease: The 1967 outbreak and its aftermath

The transcript of a Witness Seminar held by the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, London, on 11 December 2001. First published by the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 2003. ©The Trustee of the Wellcome Trust, London, 2003.All volumes are freely available online at: www.history.qmul.ac.uk/research/modbiomed/wellcome_witnesses/Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 11 December 2001. Introduction by Dr Lise Wilkinson.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 11 December 2001. Introduction by Dr Lise Wilkinson.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 11 December 2001. Introduction by Dr Lise Wilkinson.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 11 December 2001. Introduction by Dr Lise Wilkinson.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 11 December 2001. Introduction by Dr Lise Wilkinson.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 11 December 2001. Introduction by Dr Lise Wilkinson.In 1967–68 Britain experienced the worst foot and mouth disease (FMD) epidemic of the twentieth century. Attributed to pig swill containing infected Argentine lamb, 2,228 outbreaks were recorded during a nine-month period, resulting in the slaughter of nearly 450,000 animals, statistics only surpassed by the 2001 FMD epidemic. Lord Soulsby led the discussion among veterinarians, virologists, academics and farmers. The edited, annotated and illustrated transcript considers MAFF’s State Veterinary Service procedures and organization and the subsequent investigations for the 1968 Northumberland Committee, with some comparisons with the 2001 outbreak; the contribution of the Animal Virus Research Institute and the International Vaccine Bank for FMD at Pirbright, Surrey; the hardship endured by the farmers during the outbreak; and political aspects of the historic slaughter policy and the debate over vaccination, both in Westminster and in Europe. Reynolds L A, Tansey E M. (eds) (2003) Foot and Mouth Disease: The 1967 outbreak and its aftermath, Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine, vol. 18. London: Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL.The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL is funded by the Wellcome Trust, which is a registered charity, no. 210183