TASK DEFINITION: Given a context passage, generate a question from the passage such that its answer is shortest continous span from the passage.
PROBLEM: The blockage of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II (pol II) at a DNA damage site on the transcribed strand triggers a transcription-coupled DNA repair (TCR), which rapidly removes DNA damage on the transcribed strand of the expressed gene and allows the resumption of transcription. To analyze the effect of UV-induced DNA damage on transcription elongation, an in vitro transcription elongation system using pol II and oligo(dC)-tailed templates containing a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) or 6-4 photoproduct (6-4PP) at a specific site was employed. The results showed that pol II incorporated nucleotides opposite the CPD and 6-4PP and then stalled. Pol II formed a stable ternary complex consisting of pol II, the DNA damage template, and the nascent transcript. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy imaging revealed that pol II stalled at the damaged region. These findings may provide the basis for analysis of the initiation step of TCR.

SOLUTION: Which gene strand is targeted by transcription-coupled repair (TCR)?

PROBLEM: Throughout 1476, supporters of Joanna from the nobility continued to submit to Isabella and Ferdinand, particularly those from the Pacheco-Giron lineage: Juan Tellez-Giron and his brother Rodrigo; Luis de Portocarrero; and, in September, the Marquis of Villena. In November 1476, Isabella's troops captured the castle of Toro. In the following months, they took control of the last bordering localities controlled by the Portuguese and dealt with their adversaries in Extremadura. In July 1477, Isabella arrived in Seville, the most populous city of Castile, with the objective of asserting her power over the nobility of Andalusia. In April 1476, Isabella and Ferdinand gave their first exculpation to the Marquis of Cadiz. He had been regaining power while his rival, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, initially the main Isabella supporter in Andalusia, had been falling into dishonour. Through skilful negotiations, the Queen managed to take control of the main strongholds of Seville occupied by the Marquis and the Duke and, instead of returning them to their legitimate owners, named others as their heads. She prohibited both nobles from entering the city of Seville, under the pretext that their simultaneous presence there would risk violent conflicts. In this way the Duke's political dominance over Seville disappeared, and the city passed into the control of the Crown. One of the few nobles that refused to submit to the monarchs was Marshall Fernan Arias de Saavedra. Isabella's troops laid siege to his fortress at Utrera, and conquered it by assault in March 1478. The defeated suffered harsh repression. The first son of the monarchs, John of Aragon and Castile, was born in Seville on June 30, 1478, which opened new possibilities for dynastic stability of the Isabellian side.

SOLUTION: What event happened first, Isabella arriving in Seville or Isabella and Ferdinand giving their first exculpation to the Marquis of Cadiz?

PROBLEM: Sound is a form of energy that travels in waves through matter. The ability to sense sound energy and perceive sound is called hearing. The organ that we use to sense sound energy is the ear. Almost all the structures in the ear are needed for this purpose. Together, they gather sound waves, amplify the waves, and change their kinetic energy to electrical signals. The electrical signals travel to the brain, which interprets them as the sounds we hear. The Figure 1.1 shows the three main parts of the ear: the outer, middle, and inner ear. It also shows the specific structures in each part of the ear. The outer ear includes the pinna, ear canal, and eardrum. The pinna is the only part of the ear that extends outward from the head. Its position and shape make it good at catching sound waves and funneling them into the ear canal. The ear canal is a tube that carries sound waves into the ear. The sound waves travel through the air inside the ear canal to the eardrum. The eardrum is like the head of a drum. It is a thin membrane stretched tight across the end of the ear canal. The eardrum vibrates when sound waves strike it, and it sends the vibrations on to the middle ear. Q: How might cupping his hands behind his ears help the boy pictured in the opening image hear better? A: His hands might help the pinna of his ears catch sound waves and direct them into the ear canal. The middle ear contains three tiny bones (ossicles) called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. If you look at these bones in the Figure 1.1, you might notice that they resemble the objects for which they are named. The three bones transmit vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. The arrangement of the three bones allows them to work together as a lever that increases the amplitude of the waves as they pass to the inner ear. Q: Wave amplitude is the maximum distance particles of matter move when a wave passes through them. Why would amplifying the sound waves as they pass through the middle ear improve hearing? A: Amplified sound waves have more energy. This increases the intensity and loudness of the sounds, so they are easier to hear. The stirrup in the middle ear passes the amplified sound waves to the inner ear through the oval window. When the oval window vibrates, it causes the cochlea to vibrate as well. The cochlea is a shell-like structure that is full of fluid and lined with nerve cells called hair cells. Each hair cell has many tiny hairs, as you can see in the magnified image 1.2. When the cochlea vibrates, it causes waves in the fluid inside. The waves bend the hairs on the hair cells, and this triggers electrical impulses. The electrical impulses travel to the brain through nerves. Only after the nerve impulses reach the brain do we hear the sound.

SOLUTION:
the inner ear includes the