835 research outputs found
Stimulation of ribosomal frameshifting by antisense LNA
Programmed ribosomal frameshifting is a translational recoding mechanism commonly used by RNA viruses to express two or more proteins from a single mRNA at a fixed ratio. An essential element in this process is the presence of an RNA secondary structure, such as a pseudoknot or a hairpin, located downstream of the slippery sequence. Here, we have tested the efficiency of RNA oligonucleotides annealing downstream of the slippery sequence to induce frameshifting in vitro. Maximal frameshifting was observed with oligonucleotides of 12ā18ānt. Antisense oligonucleotides bearing locked nucleid acid (LNA) modifications also proved to be efficient frameshift-stimulators in contrast to DNA oligonucleotides. The number, sequence and location of LNA bases in an otherwise DNA oligonucleotide have to be carefully manipulated to obtain optimal levels of frameshifting. Our data favor a model in which RNA stability at the entrance of the ribosomal tunnel is the major determinant of stimulating slippage rather than a specific three-dimensional structure of the stimulating RNA element
Enhancing Fundamental Robot-Assisted Surgical Proficiency by Using a Portable Virtual Simulator
Background. The development of a virtual reality (VR) training platform provides an affordable interface. The learning effect of VR and the capability of skill transfer from the VR environment to clinical tasks require more investigation.
Methods. Here, 14 medical students performed 2 fundamental surgical tasksābimanual carrying (BC) and peg transfer (PT)āin actual and virtual environments. Participants in the VR group received VR training, whereas participants in the control group played a 3D game. The learning effect was examined by comparing kinematics between pretraining and posttraining in the da Vinci Surgical System. Differences between VR and playing the 3D game were also examined.
Results. Those who were trained with the VR simulator had significantly better performance in both actual PT (P = .002) and BC (P \u3c .001) tasks. The time to task completion and the total distance traveled were significantly decreased in both surgical tasks in the VR group compared with the 3D game group. However, playing the 3D game showed no significant enhancement of fundamental surgical skills in the actual PT task. The difference between pretraining and posttraining was significantly larger in the VR group than in the 3D game group in both the time to task completion (P = .002) and the total distance traveled (P = .027) for the actual PT task. Participants who played the 3D game seemed to perform even worse in posttraining.
Conclusions. Training with the portable VR simulator improved robot-assisted surgical skill proficiency in comparison to playing a 3D game
Nanomechanical-resonator-assisted induced transparency in a Cooper-pair-box system
We propose a scheme to demonstrate the electromagnetically induced
transparency (EIT) in a system of a superconducting Cooper-pair box coupled to
a nanomechanical resonator. In this scheme, the nanomechanical resonator plays
an important role to contribute additional auxiliary energy levels to the
Cooper-pair box so that the EIT phenomenon could be realized in such a system.
We call it here resonator-assisted induced transparency (RAIT). This RAIT
technique provides a detection scheme in a real experiment to measure physical
properties, such as the vibration frequency and the decay rate, of the coupled
nanomechanical resonator.Comment: To appear in New Journal of Physics: Special Issue "Mechanical
Systems at the Quantum Limit
Differential effects of neurotrophins and schwann cell-derived signals on neuronal survival/growth and synaptogenesis
Recent studies have shown that the survival of mammalian motoneurons in vitro is promoted by neurotrophins (NTs) and cAMP. There is also evidence that neurotrophins enhance transmitter release.Wethus investigated whether these agents also promote synaptogenesis. Cultured Xenopus spinal cord neurons were treated with a mixture of BDNF, glia-derived neurotrophic factor, NT-3, and NT-4, in addition to forskolin and IBMX or the cell-permeant form of cAMP, to elevate the cAMP level. The outgrowth and survival of neurons were dramatically increased by this trophic stimulation. However, when these neurons were cocultured with muscle cells, the trophic agents resulted in a failure of synaptogenesis. Specifically, the induction ofAChreceptor (AChR) clustering in cultured muscle cells was inhibited at nerveāmuscle contacts, in sharp contrast to control, untreated cocultures. Because AChR clustering induced by agrin or growth factor-coated beads in muscle cells was unaffected by trophic stimulation, its effect on synaptogenesis is presynaptic in origin. In the control, agrin was deposited along the neurite and at nerveāmuscle contacts. This was significantly downregulated in cultures treated with trophic stimuli. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analyses showed that this decrease in agrin deposition was caused by an inhibition of agrin synthesis by trophic stimuli. Both agrin synthesis and induction of AChR clustering were restored under trophic stimulation when Schwann cell-conditioned medium was introduced. These results suggest that trophic stimulation maintains spinal neurons in the growth state, and Schwann cell-derived factors allow them to switch to the synaptogenic state
BIOLOGICAL AMMONIA REMOVAL BY SUBMERGED AERATED FILTER FROM HANOI GROUND WATER
Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart
Up-regulation of proactive control is associated with beneficial effects of a childhood gymnastics program on response preparation and working memory
The effects of acute aerobic exercise on inhibitory control and resting state heart rate variability in children with ADHD
Quantum transport in ultracold atoms
Ultracold atoms confined by engineered magnetic or optical potentials are
ideal systems for studying phenomena otherwise difficult to realize or probe in
the solid state because their atomic interaction strength, number of species,
density, and geometry can be independently controlled. This review focuses on
quantum transport phenomena in atomic gases that mirror and oftentimes either
better elucidate or show fundamental differences with those observed in
mesoscopic and nanoscopic systems. We discuss significant progress in
performing transport experiments in atomic gases, contrast similarities and
differences between transport in cold atoms and in condensed matter systems,
and survey inspiring theoretical predictions that are difficult to verify in
conventional setups. These results further demonstrate the versatility offered
by atomic systems in the study of nonequilibrium phenomena and their promise
for novel applications.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures. A revie
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