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Low levels of geospatial literacy and geoscientific understanding mean that basic geological map data are meaningful to, and can therefore be interpreted by, a remarkably small number of people with specialist knowledge and training. Nevertheless, geological maps continue to underpin the exploration, exploitation, and management of natural resources such as fossil fuels, minerals, and groundwater. Geological maps can, however, be the essential basis for derived, spatial geoscience information with which complex science relating to societally relevant issues such as geohazards can be communicated meaningfully to the layperson. Such derived spatial geoscience information offers opportunities for geological surveys and agencies to demonstrate societal relevance by creating social and economic benefits. Production and delivery of such information from complex geoscientific data should therefore be central to the mission of geological surveys and agencies. This pathway is traced from data to information and knowledge of use in decision making. Societal benefits and impacts are described and quantified using case studies and independent economic impact analysis data.

Contains fulltext : 81099.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access), BACKGROUND: Neuralgic amyotrophy (also know as Parsonage-Turner syndrome or brachial plexus neuritis) is a distinct peripheral nervous system disorder characterised by episodes (attacks) of extreme neuropathic pain and rapid multifocal weakness and atrophy in the upper limbs. Neuralgic amyotrophy has both an idiopathic and hereditary form, with similar clinical symptoms but generally an earlier age of onset and more episodes in the hereditary form. The current hypothesis is that the episodes are caused by an immune-mediated response to the brachial plexus. Recovery is slow, in months to years, and many patients are left with residual pain and decreased exercise tolerance of the affected limb(s). Anecdotal evidence suggests that corticosteroids may relieve pain or help improve functional recovery. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to provide a systematic review of all randomised clinical trials of treatment in neuralgic amyotrophy. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Trials Register (April 2 2009), MEDLINE (January 1966 to April 2 2009), EMBASE (January 1980 to April 2 2009), CINAHL (January 1982 to April 2 2009), and LILACS (January 1982 to April 2 2009) for randomised controlled trials of treatment for neuralgic amyotrophy. SELECTION CRITERIA: Any randomised or quasi-randomised trial of any intervention for neuralgic amyotrophy would be included in the review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors extracted the data (RH, NvA) and two authors assessed study quality and performed data extraction independently (NvA, BvE). MAIN RESULTS: No randomised or quasi-randomised trials were identified. In 30 articles anecdotal evidence was found on treatment for neuralgic amyotrophy. Only three of these articles contained more than 10 treated cases, with one providing sufficient details to calculate the primary and secondary outcome measures for this review. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: At this moment there is no evidence from randomised trials

Although the genetic code is almost universal, natural variations exist that have caused evolutionary biologists to speculate about codon evolution. There are two predominant hypotheses that specify either a gradual (ambiguous intermediate) or stochastic (codon capture) change in the code. These hypotheses are similar to two biotechnology techniques that have been used to engineer the genetic code: a 'top down' approach, in which the whole organism is evolved for the ability to incorporate unnatural amino acids, and a 'bottom up' approach, in which aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and their cognate tRNAs are engineered. The biotechnology experiments provide insights into natural codon evolution, and a combination of these approaches should enable the evolution of organisms that can incorporate unnatural amino acids throughout their proteomes.

The stratigraphical and structural framework of the Skiddaw Group has been a controversial issue for much of the past century. Its rocks have been generally regarded as among the most intractable in England but a recently completed resurvey programme led by the British Geological Survey has resolved many of the outstanding difficulties and provided a comprehensive geological understanding. Important advances in graptolite and acritarch biostratigraphy underpin the lithostratigraphical interpretation, which in turn allows a more informed analysis of basin geometry, structure and burial metamorphism. This memoir presents and discusses the principal scientific findings of the resurvey. The Skiddaw Group occupies the northern part of the Lower Palaeozoic inlier of the English Lake District; smaller inliers occur to the east at Ullswater, Bampton, Cross Fell and Teesdale, and to the south at Ravenglass, Black Combe and Furness. Sporadic records from outcrop and boreholes farther afield indicate that similar strata extend beneath much of northern England. To the west, the Manx Group of the Isle of Man is a regional correlative. The group consists of turbidite mudstone and sandstone, which range from Tremadoc (or possibly Cambrian) to Llanvirn in age. The strata were deposited in an extensional environment at the Avalonian margin of the Iapetus Ocean. A range of petrological and geochemical parameters defines the provenance of the group within an extinct continental margin volcanic arc, possibly of Precambrian age. Palaeocurrent analysis and deduced basin configuration suggest that this source area was situated farther south, although no specific location can be identified. New graptolite and acritarch biostratigraphical zonal schemes have been developed. They assist in the recognition of three distinct lithostratigraphical domains, separated by major structural lineaments. In the north, about 5000 m of predominantly silty turbidites accumulated; two major sandstone incurs

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The molecular identity and structure of imidazoline receptors is still poorly understood. For example the I1-imidazoline binding site (I1-site) is localised to the plasma membrane, but it is not clear if this represents a conventional receptor. The I1-site reportedly has both high and low affinity binding states. Again it is not clear if these sites represent different states of the same receptor, or distinct molecular entities. The signal transduction mechanisms of I1-imidazoline receptors are beginning to be unravelled. There is clear evidence that ligands with high affinity for I1-sites stimulate phosphatidylcholine-selective phospholipase C in the rat adrenal medullary tumour cell line PC-12, but this may not be the case in all cell types. We investigated the possible role of this novel pathway in bovine adrenal medullary cells. Radioligand binding studies with [3H]clonidine confirmed the presence of I1-sites in membranes from these cells. Using microphysiometry, a recently developed technique for determining cellular activation, the extracellular acidification rates of cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells were unaffected by a number of imidazolines considered to be agonists at the I1-site. This suggests that there is no I1-site mediated stimulation of phosphatidylcholine specific phospholipase C in these cells. However, nicotine-stimulated increases in extracellular acidification were blocked by 100 muM clonidine. Ion channels have been suggested as another possible I1-imidazoline 'receptor' family, and may represent the low affinity I1-site detected in binding studies. I1-Site ligands can be shown to bind to, or block, several members of the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily, including the 5HT3, K(ATP)+, NMDA and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The I1-site ligands appear to be binding to, and acting at, the previously described phencyclidine binding site in these channels. Furthermore, molecular modelling suggests that I1-site selective ligands share

Graptolite biostratigraphy affords a robust and relatively accurate means of correlating Ordovician and Silurian hemipelagite and turbidite sequences and has been used to establish the structural development of the regional thrust belt in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The overall structural pattern has long been recognised: greywackes within individual thrust slices, deposited within a relatively short time-interval, become sequentially younger southwards; each overlies the basal Moffat Shale Group which was deposited over a longer time. However, recent refinement of the graptolite biozonal scheme has allowed the better assessment of along-strike variations within the thrust belt which are here illustrated by two transects; one, based on work in the Rhins of Galloway and the Kirkcudbright areas (SW Southern Uplands), and the other in the Peebles-Hawick area (NE Southern Uplands). The SW transect most closely approximates to the regular pattern wherein a southward-propagating thrust-front incorporated sequentially younger greywacke units. The uniform geometry is interrupted only locally, towards the southern margin of the thrust belt, by a system of back-thrusts producing structural pop-ups. The NE transect departs from this regular model: a northern sector shows the orderly initiation of the thrust belt, but towards the SE a more irregular distribution of the thrust-slice agescan be best explained by outof- sequence movement. This transect also shows more repetitive imbrication of the same biostratigraphic interval than is apparent farther SW. In both transects the fundamental changes in thrustbelt geometry took place from mid-Llandovery times onwards, with a reversion to forward-breaking, in-sequence thrusting at the beginning of the Wenlock. The cause is a matter for speculation, but may be linked withthe accommodation of an obstacle to forward-thrust propagation. However it is recognised that such variationsin thrust geometry are a fundamental feature of most

Millward & Molyneux (1992) have presented convincing evidence for the existence of a major unconformity between the Eycott Volcanic Group and the underlying Skiddaw Group. We agree with their conclusion that the new interpretation re-opens the debate about a pre-volcanic phase of deformation in the Ordovician of the English Lake District. The continuing British Geological Survey mapping programme has provided further evidence that there was such a phase. Its nature and products are crucial to the understanding of the deformation history of the Lake District Lower Palaeozoic inlier, particularly with respect to the structural complexity of the Skiddaw Group.