Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post-transcriptional regulation of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase

The +1 site for initiation of inducible chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) mRNA encoded by plasmid pC194 was determined experimentally by using [alpha-32P]ATP-labeled runoff transcripts partially digested with T1 RNase. By partial digestion of the in vitro transcripts with S1, T1, and cobra venom nucleases as probes of mRNA conformation, single- and double-stranded regions, respectively, were also identified. Thus, a prominent inverted complementary repeat sequence was demonstrated spanning the +14 to +50 positions, which contain the complementary sequences CCUCC and GGAGG (the Shine and Dalgarno sequence for synthesis of CAT) symmetrically apposed and paired as part of a perfect 12-base-pair inverted complementary repeat sequence (-19.5 kcal [ca. -81.7 kJ] per mol). The CAT mRNA was stable to digestion by T1 RNase at the four guanosine residues in the Shine and Dalgarno sequence GGAGG , even at 60 degrees C, suggesting that nascent CAT mRNA allows ribosomes to initiate protein synthesis inefficiently and that induction involves post-transcriptional unmasking of the Shine and Dalgarno sequence. Consistent with this model of regulation, we found that cells carrying pC194 , induced with chloramphenicol, contain about the same concentration of pulse-labeled CAT-specific RNA as do uninduced cells. Induction of CAT synthesis by the non- acetylatable chloramphenicol analog fluorothiamphenicol was tested by using minicells of Bacillus subtilis carrying pC194 as well as minicells containing the cloned pC194 derivatives in which parts of the CAT structural gene were deleted in vitro with BAL 31 exonuclease. Optimal induction of both full-length (active) and deleted (inactive) CAT required similar concentrations of fluorothiamphenicol, whereas induction by chloramphenicol required a higher concentration for the wild-type full-length (active) CAT than for the (inactive) deleted CAT. Because synthesis of deleted CAT was inducible, we infer that CAT plays no direct role in regulating its own synthesis.
Bed rest for acute low back pain and sciatica.

BACKGROUND Low back pain is a common reason for consulting a general practitioner, and advice on daily activities constitutes an important part in the primary care management of low back pain. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of bed rest for patients with acute low back pain or sciatica. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group trial register, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, Embase, Sport, Scisearch, and reference lists of relevant articles. We also contacted authors of relevant articles. Date of the most recent searches: December 1998. SELECTION CRITERIA We included all randomised studies or quasi randomised studies where at least one comparison group of adult patients with acute low back pain with or without radiation of pain below the knee was advised to rest in bed for at least two days and one group was not, or where comparison groups were advised to stay in bed for different lengths of time. The main outcomes of interest were pain, functional status, recovery and return to work. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed the validity of included trials and extracted data. Investigators were contacted to obtain missing information. MAIN RESULTS Nine trials with a total of 1435 patients were included. Five trials met all four validity criteria and were assessed to have low risk of bias, while four trials were assessed to have moderate to high risk of bias. Four trials compared bed rest with advice to stay active, and overall the results were heterogeneous. Overall results from two high quality studies indicate no difference in pain intensity at three weeks follow-up [Standardized Mean Difference 0.0 (95%CI: -0.3, 0.2)], and a small difference in functional status in favour of staying active [Weighted Mean Difference 3.2 (on a 0-100 scale) (95%CI 0.6, 5.8)]. Two high quality trials reported no differences in pain intensity between two to three days of bed rest and seven days of bed rest. Another two high-quality trials found no differences between bed rest and exercises in pain intensity or functional status. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Bed rest compared to acvice to stay active will at best have small effects, and at worst might have small harmful effects on acute LBP. Differences in effects of advice to stay in bed compared with advice to stay active are small for patients with low back pain with or without sciatica. There is not an important difference in the effects of bed rest compared with exercises in the treatment of acute low back pain, or seven days compared with two to three days of bed rest in patients with low back pain of different duration with and without radiating pain.
From Eye to Insight WORK EFFICIENTLY IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY WITH STEREO AND CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY:

For scientists, technicians, and teachers working with the worm C. elegans in the research lab or classroom, this report is intended to give useful information to help improve their daly work. The aim is to make the work steps of worm picking, transgenesis, RNA interference, screening, and functional imaging efficient. It also details the various possibilities for equipping a research worm lab or biology classroom/ teaching lab explaining worm methods.
Diffuse interface model of diffusion-limited crystal growth.

A general approach to diffusion-limited crystal growth is proposed. It consists of a modified (nonequilibrium) Cahn-Hilliard representation of the interface coupled to a diffusion equation. Arguments are given as to its superiority over previous models. These are illlustrated in a one-dimensional solution which shows how the system selects a unique interface velocity. The selection can be interpreted as the requirement of consistency between the interfacial undercooling as determined by the (microscopic) kinetics and as determined by the (macroscopic) diffusion equation.
An empirical study of firms’ absorptive capacity and export diversification

The purpose of this paper is to study the firms’ internal knowledge in combination with the external knowledge diversity in their region to examine their joint relation to export diversification. Using a data set of the full population of Swedish manufacturing exporters for the period 2003-2013, allows for identifying when firms introduce new products on the export market. The results indicate that firms in the medium-high tech and the medium-low tech manufacturing sectors only benefit from a larger external knowledge diversity if they themselves have some internal knowledge increasing their absorptive capacity. Changing spatial scale or increasing the time lag yields mostly the same results, but extending the external knowledge diversity to include all types of education subjects does not. This further supports the suggested importance of an absorptive capacity to facilitate the acquisition, assimilation and usage of related external knowledge in producing new products.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR REGULATION OF EMBRYONIC SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT AND MORPHOGENESIS

Embryonic skeletal development is the result of programmed differentiation and morphogenesis of the embryonic mesoderm. This review summarizes recent cellular and molecular findings on the mechanisms underlying development of the cranial, axial, appendicular skeletal components. Specifically, the identities and activities of patterning and morphogenetic genes are presented, as well as the regulation and functional consequences of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions important for cell differentiation and organogenesis. Finally, this review also surveys a number of in vitro and in vivo experimental systems currently in use for the study of skeletal development.
Light-evoked NMDA receptor-mediated currents are reduced by blocking D-serine synthesis in the salamander retina

Experiments were carried out in the retina of the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) to evaluate the importance of D-serine synthesis on light-evoked N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated components of ganglion cells and contributions to the proximal negative field potential. We blocked the synthesis of D-serine through brief exposures of the retina to phenazine ethosulfate and validated the changes in the tissue levels of D-serine using capillary electrophoresis methods to separate and measure the amino acid enantiomers. Ten minute exposures to phenazine ethosulfate decreased D-serine levels in the retina by about 50% and significantly reduced the NMDA receptor contribution to light responses of the inner retina. This is the first report of a linkage between D-serine synthesis and NMDA receptor activity in the vertebrate retina.
The Role of DCX and LIS1 in Migration through the Lateral Cortical Stream of Developing Forebrain

During forebrain development the lateral cortical stream (LCS) supplies neurons to structures in the ventral telencephalon including the amygdala and piriform cortex. In the current study, we used spatially directed in utero electroporation and RNAi to investigate mechanisms of migration to the ventral telencephalon. Cells labeled by in utero electroporation of the lateral ventricular zone migrated into the LCS, and entered the lateral neocortex, piriform cortex and amygdala, where they differentiated primarily as pyramidal neurons. RNAi of DCX or LIS1 disrupted migration into amygdala and piriform cortex and caused many neurons to accumulate in the external and amygdalar capsules. RNAi of LIS1 and DCX had similar as well as distinguishable effects on the pattern of altered migration. Combinatorial RNAi of LIS1 and DCX further suggested interaction in the functions of LIS1 and DCX on the morphology and migration of migrating neurons in the LCS. Together, these results confirm that the LCS contributes pyramidal neurons to ventral forebrain structures and reveals that DCX and LIS1 have important functions in this major migratory pathway in the developing forebrain.
Online learning algorithms for wireless energy harvesting nodes

Energy harvesting has emerged as an appealing technology to recharge battery powered devices. Recently, an extensive research has been conducted on the design of power allocation policies for energy harvesting devices. Most works have focused on offline policies that assume non-causal knowledge of the energy harvesting process. Only a few works have considered online policies with the more realistic assumption of only having past knowledge of the energy harvesting process; however, these works generally incur an additional assumption on the knowledge of the probability distribution of the harvested energy (e.g. Poisson distribution) leading to online algorithms that are rarely applicable with available energy harvesting technologies. This paper proposes three online power allocation algorithms capable of learning from the harvested energy in previous days and that perform, in average, as well as the best fixed offline strategy. The numerical results validate the performance of the proposed algorithms when energy is harvested through solar panels.
Age‐specific familial risks in common cancers of the offspring

Quantitative data on familial cancer risks are important for clinical, psychological and scientific reasons. The available estimates carry many uncertainties due to sample size and possible bias in data collection and often refer to first‐degree relatives of unspecified age and sex. We calculated sex‐ and age‐specific familial hazard ratios (FHRs) of cancer in offspring aged 15–53 years of cancer probands at 16 male and 17 female cancer sites, based on registered nation‐wide data, free from bias. The familial risks in offspring were high, >5 for thyroid (FHR 10.7 in all offspring, CI 95% 6.9–16.6), and testicular cancer (FHR 5.4, CI 95% 2.6–11.3), or intermediate, FHR 2–5, for colon, rectal, lung, breast, cervical, uterine, ovarian, skin (melanoma and squamous cell) and other endocrine gland cancers. FHRs <2.0 were observed for stomach, renal and nervous system cancers, lymphomas and leukemias. Some sex differences were observed: FHRs for male breast (only 2 cases) and thyroid cancers were over 2 times higher than the respective female ones. When parents were diagnosed before age 50 years, offspring were at an increased risk of familial breast, renal, skin (melanoma), nervous system, thyroid and non‐thyroid endocrine gland cancers, particularly affecting young (<40 years) individuals. The parental diagnostic age also affected offspring's risk of colon, rectal, uterine and ovarian cancers, but young individuals were not at a particular risk. No effect of age was noted for cervical cancer and lymphoma.Int. J. Cancer 78:172–175, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of DC corona on performance of Pulsed electric field pretreatment on waste activated sludge

With the purpose of improving the efficiency of anaerobic digestion for waste activated sludge, μs-Pulsed electric field (μs-PEF) has been employed for pretreatment on waste activated sludge and its features of low energy consumption and high efficiency make it a promising method for industry application. In this work, DC corona has been used to assist the μs-PEF treatment on the sludge and the treatment efficiency has been estimated by measuring the soluble chemical oxygen demand, NH3-N and total phosphorus. The influence of the polarity and magnitude of DC voltage on the treatment efficiency has been discussed. Obtained results showed that DC corona assisted PEF has higher treatment efficiency than PEF treatment. It is suggested that electroporation of microbial cell membrane within the sludge is likely to occur easily with the initial treatment of DC corona, which in turn facilitates the disruption of cell membrane.
A Systematic Mapping Study on Current Research Topics in Smart Contracts

An appealing feature of blockchain technology is smart contracts. A smart contract is executable code that runs on top of the blockchain to facilitate, execute and enforce an agreement between untrusted parties without the involvement of a trusted third party. In this paper, we conduct a systematic mapping study to collect all research that is relevant to smart contracts from a technical perspective. The aim of doing so is to identify current research topics and open challenges for future studies in smart contract research. We extract 24 papers from different scientific databases. The results show that about two thirds of the papers focus on identifying and tackling smart contract issues. Four key issues are identified, namely, codifying, security, privacy and performance issues. The rest of the papers focuses on smart contract applications or other smart contract related topics. Research gaps that need to be addressed in future studies are provided.
Regulatory Mechanisms of Gas for Power Generation in Electricity Markets in China

The Chinese government has promoted the natural gas use for the purpose of emissions reduction and diversification of energy supply. One of gas supply sources is liquefied natural gas (LNG) import. The large scale LNG projects need stable gas consumers like gas-fired power plants. The objective of this paper is to analyze the challenges faced by the gas-fired power plants in the context of Chinese electricity sector and gas industry, to analyze the role of gas power generation and to propose the regulatory mechanism. As an example, the case of the LNG project in Shanghai has been studied. The results show that generally, gas-fired power plant is less competitive compared to coal-fired plants but its economic feasibility can be improved under certain market conditions and regulatory mechanisms. Finally we propose a set of regulatory recommendations based on the research
An integrative proteome analysis of different seedling organs in tolerant and sensitive wheat cultivars under drought stress and recovery

Roots, leaves, and intermediate sections between roots and leaves (ISRL) of wheat seedlings show different physiological functions at the protein level. We performed the first integrative proteomic analysis of different tissues of the drought‐tolerant wheat cultivar Hanxuan 10 (HX‐10) and drought‐sensitive cultivar Chinese Spring (CS) during a simulated drought and recovery. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the roots (122), ISRLs (146), and leaves (163) showed significant changes in expression in response to drought stress and recovery. Numerous DEPs associated with cell defense and detoxifications were significantly regulated in roots and ISRLs, while in leaves, DEPs related to photosynthesis showed significant changes in expression. A significantly larger number of DEPs related to stress defense were upregulated in HX‐10 than in CS. Expression of six HSPs potentially related to drought tolerance was significantly upregulated under drought conditions, and these proteins were involved in a complex protein–protein interaction network. Further phosphorylation analysis showed that the phosphorylation levels of HSP60, HSP90, and HOP were upregulated in HX‐10 under drought stress. We present an overview of metabolic pathways in wheat seedlings based on abscisic acid signaling and important protein expression patterns.
Performing Stateful Logic on Memristor Memory

This brief proposes a circuit structure that performs a stateful logic operation on memristor memory based on a nanocrossbar. Through analysis and comparison of multiple schemes, achievable circuit condition is demonstrated, and the feasibility of the duplication operation is proved. The proposed circuit structure provides the memory with the function of in situ logic operation and thus can potentially reduce the amount of memory accessing actions and provide a possible solution to the memory wall problem.
Towards autonomously traversing complex obstacles with mobile robots with adjustable chassis

Looking at the mobility of robots and their chassis most are limited to fairly flat environments. In urban environments common structures such as steps or stairs pose invincible obstacles for such systems. When it comes to unstructured outdoor environments a vast variety of obstacles is imaginable which are not traversable by common robots, for instance boulders, debris, rocks or trunks of fallen or chopped trees. However, there are mobile robots with adjustable chassis providing a higher degree of mobility and enabling them to overcome such obstacles. This paper presents first results on our motion planning algorithm which aims at utilizing the enhanced capabilities of those robots. It takes into account the chassis configuration and the system stability to propose the best path. We use a high level planner to quickly generate a preliminary path by considering the platform's operating limits. We then distinguish between path segments on flat and rough terrain. For each hard segment we restrict the search space to a tube around the initial path. A subsequent planner is used to refine the preliminary path by considering the actuator positions, the robot's stability and a ground contact factor. Our planning algorithm is general in the sense that we do not categorize obstacles and do not use predefined motion sequences for those obstacle classes. Finally, we present a discussion including an analysis of the time complexity and a simulation application in ROS and Gazebo as proof of feasability.
Chronological distribution of emerging referenced disciplines in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology over the last 100 years

This article presents a condensed evolution of the interdisciplinarity of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BMB) by showing its chronological sequence of cited disciplines from 1910 until 2012. Interdisciplinary research has become a general approach for solving complex problems in modern science. The results of our research might help policy makers and funding agencies understand more comprehensively the interdisciplinary nature of specialties and disciplines. Using science overlay maps based on the NSF classification systems, our analysis confirms that interdisciplinarity begins with neighbouring fields and evolves to more distant cognitive areas.
Assessment of long-term safety and efficacy of etanercept in a 5-year extension study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate long-term safety and efficacy of etanercept (ETN) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without concomitant disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy. METHODS A total of 549 patients enrolled in this 5-year, open-label extension after completing 1 of 2 randomised controlled studies; all patients received ETN 25 mg twice weekly during the extension. Safety assessments included physical exams, adverse events (AEs), vital signs, laboratory tests, and autoantibody evaluations. Key efficacy endpoints included numbers of responders achieving the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, low disease activity scores, and disease remission. RESULTS Three hundred and eight (56%) patients completed the 5-year extension study. Total ETN exposure, including that received during the double-blind studies was 2212 patient-years. Withdrawals for efficacy- and safety-related reasons were 12% and 19%, respectively. The most common AE was upper respiratory infection (44%). Rates of serious infections decreased over the 5-year period; one case of suspected tuberculosis was reported. Rates of malignancies remained generally consistent during the 5-year period. There were no reports of demyelinating disease, serious blood dyscrasias, or opportunistic infections. The relationship between autoantibody titres and clinical events was not statistically significant. Less than 5% of patients tested positive for anti-etanercept antibodies and all antibodies were non-neutralising. After 5 years, ACR 20, 50, and 70 response rates were 78%, 51%, and 32%, respectively; the mean percentage of patients achieving low disease activity score (DAS ≤ 2.4) and remission (DAS ≤ 1.6) were 44% and 20%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS ETN maintained a favourable safety profile and consistent efficacy throughout the 5-year study duration.
Bayesian Estimation and Testing in Random Effects Meta-Analysis of Rare Binary Adverse Events

Meta-analysis has been widely applied to rare adverse event data because it is very difficult to reliably detect the effect of a treatment on such events in an individual clinical study. However, it is known that standard meta-analysis methods are often biased, especially when the background incidence rate is very low. A recent work by Bhaumik et al. proposed new moment-based approaches under a natural random effects model, to improve estimation and testing of the treatment effect and the between-study heterogeneity parameter. It has been demonstrated that for rare binary events, their methods have superior performance to commonly used meta-analysis methods. However, their comparison does not include any Bayesian methods, although Bayesian approaches are a natural and attractive choice under the random-effects model. In this article, we study a Bayesian hierarchical approach to estimation and testing in meta-analysis of rare binary events using the random effects model in Bhaumik et al. We develop Bayesian estimators of the treatment effect and the heterogeneity parameter, as well as hypothesis testing methods based on Bayesian model selection procedures. We compare them with the existing methods through simulation. A data example is provided to illustrate the Bayesian approach as well.