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Abstract Speleothem initial uranium isotope ratios ((234U/238U)i) can be influenced by processes along the seepage water flow‐path including alpha‐recoil into porewater during238U decay and hostrock weathering, the balance of which can reflect the infiltration rate. Thus, speleothem (234U/238U)imay provide information about past changes in rainfall amounts. However, the utility of (234U/238U)ias a paleo‐infiltration proxy has only been explored in a limited set of rainfall regimes. We present a speleothem (234U/238U)irecord from Mawmluh Cave in northeast India, an area influenced by the Indian Summer Monsoon, covering 1964–2012 CE. Speleothem (234U/238U)iwas relatively constant from 1964 to 1984 but then linearly increased by 0.05 over ∼15 years, a trend that does not correspond with observed rainfall changes. To evaluate potential drivers of (234U/238U)ivariability, we model the evolution of water (234U/238U) in a simple karst system using an advection‐reaction model parameterized by Mawmluh Cave variables. Although varying infiltration influences modeled water (234U/238U), the larger, sustained change observed in the speleothem record can only be modeled by varying the U concentration and (234U/238U) of the weathering hostrock. This suggests that larger shifts in speleothem (234U/238U)imay result from flow path changes, bringing waters in contact with hostrock of variable U characteristics. Consideration of published Mawmluh Cave records suggests that these mechanisms may also explain variability in stalagmite (234U/238U)ion precessional timescales. Further examination of speleothems (234U/238U)ifrom climates characterized by high rainfall and extensive weathering is warranted to better constrain the controls on (234U/238U)iin these dynamic environments.
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Abstract This article contains detailed synthetic protocols for preparation of 5‐cyanomethyluridine (cnm5U) and 5‐cyanouridine (cn5U) phosphoramidites. The synthesis of the cnm5U phosphoramidite building block starts with commercially available 5‐methyluridine (m5C), followed by bromination of the 5‐methyl group to install the cyano moiety using TMSCN/TBAF. The cn5U phosphoramidite is obtained by regular Vorbrüggen glycosylation of the protected ribofuranose with silylated 5‐cyanouracil. These two modified phosphoramidites are suitable for synthesis of RNA oligonucleotides on solid phase using conventional amidite chemistry. Our protocol provides access to two novel building blocks for constructing RNA‐based therapeutics. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Basic Protocol 1 : Preparation of cnm5U and cn5U phosphoramiditesBasic Protocol 2 : Synthesis, purification, and characterization of cnm5U‐ and cn5U‐modified RNA oligonucleotides