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In this paper, we use several analytical methods in an effort to better understand the systematics of the (U-Th)/He chronometer in hematite and manganese oxides. 4He diffusion data from a polycrystalline hematite sample is consistent with diffusion from hematite crystals with a range of sizes similar to those directly observed in sample material. Combined with a compilation of hematite He diffusion data from previous studies, this supports the interpretation that in general crystal size is a primary control on He retentivity in hematite. 4He/³He diffusion data from a single fragment of a larger hematite crystal imply the presence of multiple diffusion domains smaller than the observed size of the crystal fragment, which may be related to cracks, inclusions, or other internal features, as well as higher concentrations of 4He in smaller domains. We use kinetic values determined in this and other studies and measurements of hematite crystal size in each dated sample to estimate approximate closure temperatures for each sample, most of which range from 140 to 240 °C. Relationships between minor element and parent nuclide concentrations and (U-Th)/He dates measured in aliquots of some analyzed hematite samples suggest that, in some cases, U and Th are concentrated in interstitial phases other than hematite. We identify two processes responsible for much of the dispersion in hematite dates from single samples. Removal of U- and Th-rich interstitial phases from analyzed material during sample preparation or analysis leaves behind unsupported 4He implanted in hematite crystals. This removal results in apparent (U-Th)/He dates artificially older than the time of hematite He closure. A smaller source of dispersion that is likely to still be significant in some samples can be attributed to the high He diffusivities of observed interstitial phases, which do not retain implanted He. (U-Th)/He dating of hematite from upper and lower-plate rocks in the Buckskin and Rawhide detachment fault system of western Arizona yields ages that coincide with the timing of rapid extension along the detachment fault. Comparisons of estimated hematite closure temperatures and hematite sample ages to data from other studies of the Buckskin-Rawhide detachment system lead us to conclude that hematite dates record rapid cooling that followed detachment zone mineralization. Mn oxide (U-Th)/He dates are interpreted as formation ages of minerals formed by hydrothermal fluids that circulated through upper-plate rocks after cessation of extension along the detachment fault. Overall, we find that (U-Th)/He dating of hematite and Mn oxide minerals are promising methods for obtaining temporal information about the formation and cooling of these common secondary phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research on which this article is based examines public attitudes towards the reintegration of sex offenders into the community. Data were gathered using a variety of methods: an online, predominantly qualitative questionnaire, a postal questionnaire, predominantly quantitative, and meetings with community groups, such as residents' associations. The postal questionnaire was sent to employers (for distribution to staff) and mailed to 5,000 households in the north-west of England; a total of 979 people responded to both the online and postal questionnaires. This study is one of the largest surveys in the UK on what people think about the reintegration of sex offenders into the community post-conviction. The research findings indicate that people are not as punitive towards sex offenders as is assumed. However, feelings of insecurity in terms of the way sex offenders are managed in the community were expressed with a belief in the veracity of community notification strategies. Concern was also expressed in relation to how the community reintegration of sex offenders takes place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Findings from a recent survey among employers in the north-west of England suggest that personal support is the most favoured type of support both for employers and for ex-offenders when considering employing (or employing more) ex-offenders. The findings also reveal that employers need more information on the relevance and the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, as well as guidance on risk assessment and management procedures, in order to enable them to make informed decisions about, and increase their confidence in, employing ex-offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U-Pb age spectra of detrital zircons in samples from the Paleogene Colton Formation in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah and the Late Cretaceous McCoy Mountains Formation of southwestern Arizona (United States) are statistically indistinguishable. This finding refutes previous inferences that arkosic detritus of the Colton was derived from cratonic basement exposed by Laramide tectonism, and instead establishes the Cordilleran magmatic arc (which also provided sediment to the McCoy Mountains Formation) as the primary source. Given the existence of a north-south-trending drainage divide in eastern Nevada and the north-northeast direction of Laramide paleoflow throughout Arizona and southern Utah, we infer that a large river system headed in the arc of the Mojave region fl owed northeast ∼700 km to the Uinta Basin. Named after its source area, this Paleogene California River would have been equal in scale but opposite in direction to the modern Green River-Colorado River system, and the timing and causes of the subsequent drainage reversal are important constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Cordillera and the Colorado Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 5-HT(3) receptor is a member of the 'Cys-loop' family of ligand-gated ion channels that mediate fast excitatory and inhibitory transmission in the nervous system. Current evidence points towards native 5-HT(3) receptors originating from homomeric assemblies of 5-HT(3A) or heteromeric assembly of 5-HT(3A) and 5-HT(3B). Novel genes encoding 5-HT(3C), 5-HT(3D), and 5-HT(3E) have recently been described but the functional importance of these proteins is unknown. In the present study, in silico analysis (confirmed by partial cloning) indicated that 5-HT(3C), 5-HT(3D), and 5-HT(3E) are not human-specific as previously reported: they are conserved in multiple mammalian species but are absent in rodents. Expression profiles of the novel human genes indicated high levels in the gastrointestinal tract but also in the brain, Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) and other tissues. Following the demonstration that these subunits are expressed at the cell membrane, the functional properties of the recombinant human subunits were investigated using patch clamp electrophysiology. 5-HT(3C), 5-HT(3D), and 5-HT(3E) were all non-functional when expressed alone. Co-transfection studies to determine potential novel heteromeric receptor interactions with 5-HT(3A) demonstrated that the expression or function of the receptor was modified by 5-HT(3C) and 5-HT(3E), but not 5-HT(3D). The lack of distinct effects on current rectification, kinetics or pharmacology of 5-HT(3A) receptors does not however provide unequivocal evidence to support a direct contribution of 5-HT(3C) or 5-HT(3E) to the lining of the ion channel pore of novel heteromeric receptors. The functional and pharmacological contributions of these novel subunits to human biology and diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome for which 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists have major clinical usage, therefore remains to be fully determined.

Polyak et al. (Reports, 7 March 2008, p. 1377) reported that development of the western Grand Canyon began about 17 million years ago. However, their conclusion is based on an inappropriate conflation of Plio-Quaternary incision rates and longer-term rates derived from sites outside the Grand Canyon. Water-table declines at these sites were more likely related to local base-level changes and Miocene regional extensional tectonics.