Guided missiles

Sir John Cockcroft then showed a film illustrating the handling of radioactive materials at Harwell. He concluded the lecture by saying that great care had to be taken in disposing of the radioactive affluent. Before discharging it into the Thames which is the source of London's water supply they had to be quite certain that the radioactivity level in the water was very low

Toward more effective gene delivery

A report on the symposium 'In vivo barriers to gene delivery', Cold Spring Harbor, USA, 26-29 November 2007

Record of Tethyan ocean closure and Indosinian collision along the Ailaoshan suture zone (SW China)

Zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data along with whole-rock elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic analytical results for the Xin'anzhai and Tongtiange granitic plutons in the Ailaoshan suture zone record the transition from subduction to collision associated with the accretion of Indochina to Yangtze Blocks. The Xin'anzhai monzogranite yields zircon U–Pb age of 251.6 ± 2.0 Ma and εHf(t) values of − 6.2– − 9.8. The Tongtiange leucogranite gives zircon U–Pb age of 247.5 ± 2.2 Ma and εHf(t) values ranging from − 3.1 to − 11.1. The Tongtiange leucogranites have lower MgO, Na2O, CaO, FeOt and TiO2 contents but higher A/CNK values than those of the Xin'anzhai monzogranites. The εNd(t) values for Xin'anzhai and Tongtiange plutons are in the range of − 8.5 to − 8.8 and − 10.6 to − 11.4, respectively, similar to those of the Ailaoshan metamorphic basement. The Tongtiange leucogranites are the product of dehydration melting of mica-rich metasedimentary rocks whereas the primary source of the Xin'anzhai monzogranites is probably Proterozoic gneiss with an addition of 35–45% Proterozoic amphibolite. Our geochronological results, together with other published data, indicate the presence of Permo-Triassic magmatism associated with the Indosinian Orogeny along the Ailaoshan suture zone. This zone links with the Jinshajiang suture toward the northwest and the Song Ma–Hainan suture to the southeast. It is herein proposed that latest Permian convergent margin magmatism represented by the Xin'anzhai granitoid pluton (~ 252 Ma) terminated through the accretion of the Simao-Indochina to the South China Blocks, which marks the commencement of the Indosinian Orogeny resulting in the generation of the ~ 247 Ma Tongtiange S-type leucogranite.PostprintPeer reviewe

Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic extensional and compressional history of East Laurentian margin sequences: The Moine Supergroup, Scottish Caledonides

Neoproterozoic siliciclastic-dominated sequences are widespread along the eastern margin of Laurentia and are related to rifting associated with the breakout of Laurentia from the supercontinent Rodinia. Detrital zircons from the Moine Supergroup, NW Scotland, yield Archean to early Neoproterozoic U-Pb ages, consistent with derivation from the Grenville-Sveconorwegian orogen and environs and accumulation post–1000 Ma. U-Pb zircon ages for felsic and associated mafic intrusions confirm a widespread pulse of extension-related magmatism at around 870 Ma. Pegmatites yielding U-Pb zircon ages between 830 Ma and 745 Ma constrain a series of deformation and metamorphic pulses related to Knoydartian orogenesis of the host Moinerocks. Additional U-Pb zircon and monazite data, and 40Ar/39Ar ages for pegmatites and host gneisses indicate high-grade metamorphic events at ca. 458–446 Ma and ca. 426 Maduring the Caledonian orogenic cycle.The presence of early Neoproterozoic silici clastic sedimentation and deformation in the Moine and equivalent successions around the North Atlantic and their absence along strike in eastern North America reflect contrasting Laurentian paleogeography during the breakup of Rodinia. The North Atlantic realm occupied an external location on the margin of Laurentia, and this region acted as a locus for accumulation of detritus (Moine Supergroup and equivalents) derived from the Grenville-Sveconorwegian orogenic welt, which developed as a consequence of collisional assembly of Rodinia. Neoproterozoic orogenic activity corresponds with theinferred development of convergent platemargin activity along the periphery of the supercontinent. In contrast in eastern North America, which lay within the internal parts of Rodinia, sedimentation did not commence until the mid-Neoproterozoic (ca. 760 Ma) during initial stages of supercontinent fragmentation. In the North Atlantic region, this time frame corresponds to a second pulse of extension represented by units such as the Dalradian Supergroup, which unconformably overlies the predeformed Moine succession

Extensive crustal extraction in Earth’s early history inferred from molybdenum isotopes

Estimates of the volume of the earliest crust based on zircon ages and radiogenic isotopes remain equivocal. Stable isotope systems, such as molybdenum, have the potential to provide further constraints but remain underused due to the lack of complementarity between mantle and crustal reservoirs. Here we present molybdenum isotope data for Archaean komatiites and Phanerozoic komatiites and picrites and demonstrate that their mantle sources all possess subchondritic signatures complementary to the superchondritic continental crust. These results confirm that the present-day degree of mantle depletion was achieved by 3.5 billion years ago and that Earth has been in a steady state with respect to molybdenum recycling. Mass balance modelling shows that this early mantle depletion requires the extraction of a far greater volume of mafic-dominated protocrust than previously thought, more than twice the volume of the continental crust today, implying rapid crustal growth and destruction in the first billion years of Earth’s history

Aminooxy-BCN glycoconjugates

NMR spectroscopy data for aminooxybicyclononyne derivatives and glycan conjugates and protein mass spectrometry data for protein ligation reaction

In assisted reproduction by IVF or ICSI, the rate at which embryos develop to the blastocyst stage is influenced by the fertilization method used: a split IVF/ICSI study

PURPOSE: To compare in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in regard to post-fertilization development and outcome with the purpose of ascertaining the most effective fertilization method for assisted reproduction. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 136 split IVF/ICSI cycles (where sibling oocytes are fertilized by two different methods using the same sperm sample). RESULTS: IVF-derived embryos developed to the blastocyst stage at a significantly faster rate than ICSI-derived embryos. There was no significant difference in fertilization or livebirth rates between the two fertilization methods. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with sperm progressive motility ≥ 1.0 × 106/ml (who usually constitute the majority of patients), no significant difference between the two fertilization methods was found in regard to fertilization rate or livebirth rate. Remaining factors influencing choice between the two methods appear to be restricted to convenience, financial considerations and concern with regard to possible perpetuation of genetically linked infertility to future generations

MicroRNA Controlled Adenovirus Mediates Anti-Cancer Efficacy without Affecting Endogenous MicroRNA Activity

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate mRNA translation and stability by binding to complementary sequences usually within the 3′ un-translated region (UTR). We have previously shown that the hepatic toxicity caused by wild-type Adenovirus 5 (Ad5WT) in mice can be prevented by incorporating 4 binding sites for the liver-specific microRNA, mir122, into the 3′ UTR of E1A mRNA. This virus, termed Ad5mir122, is a promising virotherapy candidate and causes no obvious liver pathology. Herein we show that Ad5mir122 maintains wild-type lytic activity in cancer cells not expressing mir122 and assess any effects of possible mir122 depletion in host cells. Repeat administration of 2×1010 viral particles of Admir122 to HepG2 tumour bearing mice showed significant anti-cancer efficacy. RT-QPCR showed that E1A mRNA was down-regulated 29-fold in liver when compared to Ad5WT. Western blot for E1A confirmed that all protein variants were knocked down. RT-QPCR for mature mir122 in infected livers showed that quantity of mir122 remained unaffected. Genome wide mRNA microarray profiling of infected livers showed that although the transcript level of >3900 different mRNAs changed more than 2-fold following Ad5WT infection, less than 600 were changed by Ad5mir122. These were then filtered to select mRNAs that were only altered by Ad5mir122 and the remaining 21 mRNAs were compared to predicted mir122 targets. No mir122 target mRNAs were affected by Ad5 mir122. These results demonstrate that the exploitation of microRNA regulation to control virus replication does not necessarily affect the level of the microRNA or the endogenous mRNA targets