Guidelines for the measurement of BCR-ABL1 transcripts in chronic myeloid leukaemia

Molecular testing for the BCR-ABL1 fusion gene by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the most sensitive routine approach for monitoring the response to therapy of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia. In the context of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, the technique is most appropriate for patients who have achieved complete cytogenetic remission and can be used to define specific therapeutic milestones. To achieve this effectively, standardization of the laboratory procedures and the interpretation of results are essential. We present here consensus best practice guidelines for RT-qPCR testing, data interpretation and reporting that have been drawn up and agreed by a consortium of 21 testing laboratories in the United Kingdom and Ireland in accordance with the procedures of the UK Clinical Molecular Genetics Society.

Becoming a national composer: critical reception to c.1925

The centrality of Vaughan Williams to British music in the first half of the twentieth century is now a commonplace in musicology, but this has not always been so. Prior to 1914 Vaughan Williams was regarded by a number of British critics as a figure of considerable potential, but of less interest than composers like Granville Bantock, Cyril Scott, and Joseph Holbrooke: a reflection, in part, of the many different strands that existed in musical modernism in pre-war Britain, as well as scepticism that Vaughan Williams's engagement with English folksong offered anything original. In this chapter, I consider this inauspicious early period of Vaughan Williams reception, when even works considered seminal today like the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis were received by some critics with bewilderment, and the changes that took place in the years after World War One after which Vaughan Williams became the leader of British musical modernism. I argue that Vaughan Williams's emergence reflects a change in attitude by British critics to modernism in general, to their approach to musical criticism, and to Vaughan Williams's musical language; in particular I note the distinction increasingly drawn by critics between folksong arrangements and a musical language derived from folksong.

Alfred William Brian Simpson 1931-2011

This is a biography of AW Brian Simpson prepared for the British Academy's series Biographical Memoirs of the British Academy.

Tip-enhanced Raman microscopy: practicalities and limitations

The feasibility of apertureless scanning near-field Raman microscopy, exploiting the local enhancement in Raman scattering in the vicinity of a silver or gold tip, was investigated. Using the finite difference time domain method we calculated the enhancement of electric field strength, and hence Raman scattering, achieved through the resonant excitation of local modes in the tip. By modelling the frequency-dependent dielectric response of the metal tip we were able to highlight the resonant nature of the tip-enhancement and determine the excitation wavelength required for the strongest electric field enhancement, and hence Raman scattering intensity, which occurs for the excitation of modes localized at the tip apex. It is demonstrated that a peak Raman enhancement of 10(7)-fold should be achievable with <5 nm spatial resolution. We show that surface-enhanced Raman scattering from carbon contamination on a silver or gold tip can be significant. However, we find for a tip of radius of curvature 20 nm that the Raman enhancement should decay totally within 20 nm from the tip. Hence withdrawal of the tip by this distance should lead to the disappearance of the tip-enhanced signal, leaving only that from carbon contamination on the tip itself and the intrinsic signal from the sample. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Coprolites from the Cretaceous Bearpaw Formation of Saskatchewan

Coprolites from the Beechy Member of the Cretaceous Bearpaw Formation, southern Saskatchewan, presumably deposited by one or more species of mosasaur or large fish/shark, were recovered and analyzed using SEM/EDS. The data reveal the presence of pseudomorphous coccoid bacteria, potential filamentous bacteria, bacterial endospores and filamentous fungi. No recorded fossil plant or bone material could be identified, either within the highly compressed coprolitic mat-flattened full coprolite bolus - of recovered marine sediment encased in a mixed mat of hematite-apatite primary minerals heavily coated with Ca-smectite and nontronite, or the full coprolite bolus. The presence of fossil bacteria with morphological characteristics similar to those of endospores in other environments suggests that only robust microbial forms such as these survive diagenesis, partly with some carbon still intact, the remainder replaced with silica and iron. The data support the view that coprolites can serve as a useful source of information on the ancient microbial world. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Weathering Rinds: Archives of Paleoenvironments on Mount Kenya, East Africa

Weathering-rind thicknesses on pebble-and cobble-size sediment have been used for the past half-century, at least, as an age indicator of postdepositional time following a geologic event. In mountainous terrain, rind thickness is taken as a measurement of weathering over time frames of 0.5 m.yr.; variable thicknesses are used to discriminate relative ages of glacial deposits. The effects of chemical and physical weathering that together produce rinds are only rarely considered, and most research objectives have centered on lichen alteration of clast surfaces. Recent microscopic analyses of weathering rinds on volcanic clasts of similar to 70.0-ka to similar to 2.0-m.yr. age produced new data on weathering products as well as unexpected incorporated biotic materials undergoing diagenesis. The question as to how much physical/mineral/chemical/ biotic paleoenvironmental data might be archived in rinds is discussed. The character and classification of organic materials undergoing diagenesis are also discussed.

Coleoptera and microbe biomass in Antarctic Dry Valley paleosols adjacent to the Inland Ice: Implications for Mars

Bulk paleosol samples collected from a Middle to Early Miocene moraine in the New Mountain area of the Dry Valleys, Antarctica, yielded Coleoptera exoskeletons and occasional endoskeletons showing considerable diagenetic effects along with several species of bacteria, all lodged in a dry-frozen but salt-rich horizon at shallow depth to the land surface. The till is at the older end of a chronologic sequence of glacial deposits, thought to have been deposited before the transition from wet-based to cold-based ice (similar to 15 Ma), and hence, entirely weathered in contact with the subaerial atmosphere. It is possible, though not absolutely verifiable, that the skeletons date from this early stage of emplacement having undergone modifications whenever light snowmelt occurred or salt concentrations lowered the freezing temperature to maintain water as liquid. Correlation of the Coleoptera species with cultured bacteria in the sample and the likelihood of co-habitation with Beauveria bassiani found in two adjacent, although younger paleosols, leads to new questions about the antiquity of the Coleoptera and the source of N and glucose from chitinase derived from the insects. The skeletons in the 831 section may date close to the oldest preserved chitin (Oligocene) yet found on Earth. While harsh Martian conditions make it seemingly intolerable for complex, multicellular organisms such as insects to exist in the near-surface and subaerially, life within similar cold, dry paleosol microenvironments (Cryosols) of Antarctica point to life potential for the Red Planet, especially when considering the relatively diverse microbe (bacteria and fungi) population. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of 100 fundamental ecological questions

Fundamental ecological research is both intrinsically interesting and provides the basic knowledge required to answer applied questions of importance to the management of the natural world. The 100th anniversary of the British Ecological Society in 2013 is an opportune moment to reflect on the current status of ecology as a science and look forward to high-light priorities for future work. To do this, we identified 100 important questions of fundamental importance in pure ecology. We elicited questions from ecologists working across a wide range of systems and disciplines. The 754 questions submitted (listed in the online appendix) from 388 participants were narrowed down to the final 100 through a process of discussion, rewording and repeated rounds of voting. This was done during a two-day workshop and thereafter. The questions reflect many of the important current conceptual and technical pre-occupations of ecology. For example, many questions concerned the dynamics of environmental change and complex ecosystem interactions, as well as the interaction between ecology and evolution. The questions reveal a dynamic science with novel subfields emerging. For example, a group of questions was dedicated to disease and micro-organisms and another on human impacts and global change reflecting the emergence of new subdisciplines that would not have been foreseen a few decades ago. The list also contained a number of questions that have perplexed ecologists for decades and are still seen as crucial to answer, such as the link between population dynamics and life-history evolution. Synthesis. These 100 questions identified reflect the state of ecology today. Using them as an agenda for further research would lead to a substantial enhancement in understanding of the discipline, with practical relevance for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem function. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2013 British Ecological Society.

Biomarkers in nutrition: new frontiers in research and application

Nutritional biomarkers-biochemical, functional, or clinical indices of nutrient intake, status, or functional effects--are needed to support evidence-based clinical guidance and effective health programs and policies related to food, nutrition, and health. Such indices can reveal information about biological or physiological responses to dietary behavior or pathogenic processes, and can be used to monitor responses to therapeutic interventions and to provide information on interindividual differences in response to diet and nutrition. Many nutritional biomarkers are available; yet there has been no formal mechanism to establish consensus regarding the optimal biomarkers for particular nutrients and applications.