bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With the Initiation of Comfort‐Focused Nutrition Care Orders for Long‐Term Care Residents at End of Life
Authors: Koechl Jill , Banerjee Albert , Heckman George , Keller Heather 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundComfort‐focused nutrition orders are recommended to manage eating changes among long‐term care (LTC) residents nearing the end of life, though little is known about their current use. This investigation aims to describe current practices and identify resident‐level and time‐dependent factors associated with comfort‐focused nutrition orders in this context.MethodsData were retrospectively extracted from resident charts of decedents (≥65 years at death, admitted ≥6 months) in 18 LTC homes from two sampling frames across southern Ontario, Canada. Observations occurred at 6 months (baseline), 3 months, 1 month and 2 weeks prior to death. Extracted data included functional measures (e.g. cognitive performance, health instability) at baseline, formalised restorative and comfort‐focused nutrition care interventions at each timepoint and eating changes reported in the progress notes in 2 weeks following each timepoint. Logistic regression and time‐varying logistic regression models determined resident‐level (e.g. functional characteristics) and time‐dependent factors (e.g. eating changes) associated with receiving a comfort‐focused nutrition order.ResultsLess than one‐third (30.5%; n = 50) of 164 participants (61.0% female; mean age = 88.3 ± 7.5 years) received a comfort‐focused nutrition order, whereas most (99%) received at least one restorative nutrition intervention to support oral food intake. Discontinuation of nutrition interventions was rare (8.5%). Comfort orders were more likely with health instability (OR [95% CI] = 4.35 [1.49, 13.76]), within 2 weeks of death (OR = 5.50 [1.70, 17.11]), when an end‐of‐life conversation had occurred since the previous timepoint (OR = 5.66 [2.83, 11.33]), with discontinued nutrition interventions (OR = 6.31 [1.75, 22.72]), with co‐occurrence of other care plan modifications (OR = 1.48 [1.10, 1.98]) and with a greater number of eating changes (OR = 1.19 [1.02, 1.38]), especially dysphagia (OR = 2.59 [1.09, 6.17]), at the preceding timepoint.ConclusionsComfort‐focused nutrition orders were initiated for less than one‐third of decedents and most often in the end stages of life, possibly representing missed opportunities to support the quality of life for this vulnerable population. An increase in eating changes, including new dysphagia, may signal a need for proactive end‐of‐life conversations involving comfort nutrition care options.Implications for PracticeEarly and open conversations with residents and family about potential eating changes and comfort‐focused nutrition care options should be encouraged and planned for among geriatric nursing teams working in LTC. These conversations may be beneficial even as early as resident admission to the home.
Reduced mesophyll conductance under chronic O3 exposure in poplar reflects thicker cell walls and increased subcellular diffusion pathway lengths according to the anatomical model
Authors: Joffe Ricardo , Tosens Tiina , Berthe Audrey , Jolivet Yves , Niinemets Ülo , Gandin Anthony 
Published: August 2024

AbstractOzone (O3) is one of the most harmful and widespread air pollutants, affecting crop yield and plant health worldwide. There is evidence that O3 reduces the major limiting factor of photosynthesis, namely CO2 mesophyll conductance (gm), but there is little quantitative information of O3‐caused changes in key leaf anatomical traits and their impact on gm. We exposed two O3‐responsive clones of the economically important tree species Populus × canadensis Moench to 120 ppb O3 for 21 days. An anatomical diffusion model within the leaf was used to analyse the entire CO2 diffusion pathway from substomatal cavities to carboxylation sites and determine the importance of each structural and subcellular component as a limiting factor. gm decreased substantially under O3 and was found to be the most important limitation of photosynthesis. This decrease was mostly driven by an increased cell wall thickness and length of subcellular diffusion pathway caused by altered interchloroplast spacing and chloroplast positioning. By contrast, the prominent leaf integrative trait leaf dry mass per area was neither affected nor related to gm under O3. The observed relationship between gm and anatomy, however, was clone‐dependent, suggesting that mechanisms regulating gm may differ considerably between closely related plant lines. Our results confirm the need for further studies on factors constraining gm under stress conditions.
Plant traits mediate foliar uptake of deposited nitrogen by mature woody plants
Authors: Wang Xin , Li Jing , Ge Heng , Pan Shengnan , Li Ping , Guo Lulu , Yang Lu , Peng Ziyang , Wang Bin , Wang Zhenhua , Wang Chengzhang , Liu Lingli 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIncreased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition significantly disturbs ecosystem N cycle. Although foliar interception and uptake of N deposition can provide an important alternative N supply to forest ecosystems, the mechanisms regulating foliar N uptake from wet deposition are not fully understood. Here, we selected 19 woody species with a wide range of plant traits from different functional groups and conducted a 15N isotope labelling experiment through brushing 15NH4+ and 15NO3− solution on canopy leaves. Our findings demonstrate that leaves can directly absorb N from wet deposition within a few hours. The average leaf 15N recoveries were 10% and 28% under 15NH4+ and 15NO3− treatments across species, respectively, while twig N recoveries were only 1%–7% of leaf N recoveries. Differences in foliar N uptake efficiency among species were closely associated with leaf traits but were little influenced by meteorological conditions or soil nutrient status. Specifically, plants with higher leaf N concentration, larger specific leaf area and lower wax concentration exhibited higher leaf N recovery. Our results indicated that tree canopies could directly absorb N from atmospheric deposition. We highlight the critical role of leaf traits in determining canopy foliar N uptake, which may consequently influence plant competition under elevated N deposition.
Function of plastid translation in plant temperature acclimation: Retrograde signalling or extraribosomal ‘moonlighting’ functions?
Authors: Wang Xiushun , Ji Daili , Ma Jinfang , Chi Wei 
Published: August 2024

Summary StatementSpecific components of the plastid ribosome could act as pivotal limiting factors in plant temperature acclimation. We endeavour to elucidate the molecular nexus between plastid translation and temperature acclimation by incorporating the concept of extraribosomal ‘moonlighting’ functions of plastid ribosome proteins.
Nature‐friendly hands: The relationship between nursing students' climate change anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and anxiety about the future
Authors: Gülırmak Güler Kübra , Albayrak Günday Eda 
Published: August 2024

AbstractAim/objectiveThis study examined the relationship between climate change anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and future anxiety levels of nursing students.BackgroundThe effects of climate change, an important global problem, on people's emotional and intellectual states are becoming increasingly important. It is important to understand to what extent prospective health professionals, such as nursing students, are affected by such environmental concerns and the possible impact of this level on their professional behaviors to develop an environmentally focused approach to health services.DesignThis study was conducted using a descriptive and correlational design.MethodsStudents enrolled in the Nursing Undergraduate Program of a university in Turkey in the 2023–2024 academic year participated in the study. The participants were administered a personal information form, climate change anxiety scale, intolerance of uncertainty scale, and future anxiety scale in university students. The data were evaluated using advanced statistical analyses, and relationships were examined.ResultsAs a result of these analyses, it was determined that there was a significant relationship between future anxiety and climate change anxiety in university students (R = 0.234, p = .000). In addition, there was a substantial relationship between climate change anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty (R = 0.562, p = .000).ConclusionsThese findings indicate significant and linear relationships between nursing students' emotional and cognitive states associated with environmental factors such as climate change, uncertainty, and future anxiety. Developing support and interventions in nursing education is crucial to help students cope with these issues and function more effectively in their future professional lives.
The other side of platform politics. Law‐making and online participatory democracy in the Five Star Movement
Authors: Tronconi Filippo , Bailo Francesco 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBetween 2013 and 2021, the Italian Five Star Movement implemented an advanced tool, Lex Eletti, to enhance citizens' online participation in law‐making. Elected representatives had to present their draft bills on the party's platform before introducing them in Parliament, allowing ordinary party members to discuss them and suggest modifications. This paper investigates the impact of the Lex Eletti platform on participatory democracy in law‐making using text analysis and sentence embeddings to compare draft bills and their parliamentary counterparts. Our analysis of a comprehensive dataset, also including statistics about MPs' and party members' online interactions and MPs' legislative activity in Parliament, reveals that the platform had minimal impact: only a few MPs engaged with it, and user attention for bills on Lex Eletti decreased over time. Interaction between platform users and MPs was also limited. Most bills reached Parliament with little to no modifications, irrespective of platform engagement levels. The Five Star Movement's attempt to foster democratic participation through this platform did not significantly affect law‐making activity.
Party identification as a mediating variable in the perception of governmental legitimacy in Israel during the coronavirus epidemic
Authors: Cohen Erez 
Published: August 2024

AbstractObjectiveThe policy implemented in Israel with the purpose of eradicating the COVID‐19 pandemic restricted Israeli citizens’ individual freedom. During this period, Israel was suffering from government instability that led to recurring election campaigns within a short period. In addition, the prime minister was under legal investigation for suspicions of government corruption. This study examines the legitimization of government by the Israeli public during the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsThe research findings are based on a representative attitude survey conducted by a survey company among Israeli citizens (men and women older than 18), including 604 respondents from the Jewish population and others and another 135 respondents from the Arab sector, that is, a total of 739 respondents, where the sampling error was 4.4 percent.ResultsThe findings indicate that right‐wing voters tended to support governmental legitimization at a higher rate compared to voters from opposing blocs. Correspondingly, they tended to oppose claims attacking governmental legitimization at a lower rate in comparison to coalition party voters.ConclusionThe conclusion indicates that the party identification of the respondents is a mediating variable in their perception of governmental legitimacy vis‐à‐vis each of the three variables examined, thereby strengthening the perceptual screening.
SlWRKY55 coordinately acts with SlVQ11 to enhance tomato thermotolerance by activating SlHsfA2
Authors: Ma Jilin , Wang Yingying , Hong Yihan , Zhao Mingjie , Ma Xuechun , Liu Jiapeng , Chai Weizhe , Zhao Wenchao , Sun Lulu , Yang Rui , Wang Shaohui , Huang Huang 
Published: August 2024

SUMMARYHigh temperature (HT) severely restricts plant growth, development, and productivity. Plants have evolved a set of mechanisms to cope with HT, including the regulation of heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) and heat shock proteins (Hsps). However, it is not clear how the transcriptional and translational levels of Hsfs and Hsps are controlled in tomato. Here, we reported that the HT‐induced transcription factor SlWRKY55 recruited SlVQ11 to coordinately regulate defense against HT. SlWRKY55 directly bound to the promoter of SlHsfA2 and promoted its expression, which was increased by SlVQ11. Moreover, both SlWRKY55 and SlVQ11 physically interacted with SlHsfA2 to enhance the transcriptional activity of SlHsfA2. Thus, our results revealed a molecular mechanism that the SlWRKY55/SlVQ11‐SlHsfA2 cascade enhanced thermotolerance and provided potential target genes for improving the adaptability of crops to HT.
Home demand and trade pattern: A support for the Linder conjecture in the environmental sector
Authors: Zhang Qi , Zeng Dao‐Zhi , Song Deyong 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis paper theoretically and empirically explores the Linder conjecture (the home market effect [HME] in terms of trade pattern) in the environmental sector. Using a general equilibrium model for a two‐country, two‐sector economy, we demonstrate the existence of a strong/weak HME and highlight the crucial role of trade costs in the HME. Empirically, by utilising a data set of international air purifier trade and PM2.5 concentration, we investigate the causal relationship between environmental demand and trade patterns. The results show that for every 1% rise in PM2.5, the exports and net exports of air purifiers increase by 4.337% and 3.835%, respectively. We also illustrate that the strong secondary magnification effect exists in the environmental sector, especially among developing countries. In conclusion, a country with a larger environmental home demand tends to be a net exporter of environmental products. It provides a new path for high‐polluting countries to upgrade their traditional manufacturing towards an environmentally friendly economy.
An overdetermined problem related to the Finsler p$p$‐Laplacian
Authors: Greco Antonio , Mebrate Benyam 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIn this paper, we consider the Finsler ‐Laplacian torsion equation. The domain of the problem is bounded by a conical surface supporting a Neumann‐type condition, and an unknown surface supporting both a Dirichlet and a Neumann condition. The case when the cone coincides with the punctured space is included. We show that the existence of a weak solution implies that the unknown surface lies on the boundary of a Finsler‐ball. Incidentally, some properties of the Finsler–Minkowski norms are proved here under mild smoothness assumptions.
Effect of multifunctional cationic polymer coatings on mitigation of broad microbial pathogens
Authors: Gong Jianliang , Or Chun-Yin , Sze Eric Tung-Po , Man-Ngai Chan Sidney , Wu Pak-Long , Poon Peggy Miu-Yee , Law Anthony K. Y. , Ulrychová Lucie , Hodek Jan , Weber Jan , Ouyang Hui , Yang My , Eilts Stephanie M. , Torremorell Montserrat , Knobloch Yaakov , Hogan Christopher J. , Atallah Christine , Davies Juliette , Winkler John , Gordon Ryan , Zarghanishiraz Reza , Zabihi Mojtaba , Christianson Cole , Taylor Deanne , Rabinowitz Alan , Baylis Jared , Brinkerhoff Joshua , Little Jonathan P. , Li Ri , Moldenhauer Jeanne , Mansour Michael K. 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACT

Infection control measures to prevent viral and bacterial infection spread are critical to maintaining a healthy environment. Pathogens such as viruses and pyogenic bacteria can cause infectious complications. Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 are known to spread through the aerosol route and on fomite surfaces, lasting for a prolonged time in the environment. Developing technologies to mitigate the spread of pathogens through airborne routes and on surfaces is critical, especially for patients at high risk for infectious complications. Multifunctional coatings with a broad capacity to bind pathogens that result in inactivation can disrupt infectious spread through aerosol and inanimate surface spread. This study uses C-POLAR, a proprietary cationic, polyamine, organic polymer with a charged, dielectric property coated onto air filtration material and textiles. Using both SARS-CoV-2 live viral particles and bovine coronavirus models, C-POLAR-treated material shows a dramatic 2-log reduction in circulating viral inoculum. This reduction is consistent in a static room model, indicating simple airflow through a static C-POLAR hanging can capture significant airborne particles. Finally, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are applied to C-POLAR textiles using a viability indicator to demonstrate eradication on fomite surfaces. These data suggest that a cationic polymer surface can capture and eradicate human pathogens, potentially interrupting the infectious spread for a more resilient environment.

IMPORTANCE
Infection control is critical for maintaining a healthy home, work, and hospital environment. We test a cationic polymer capable of capturing and eradicating viral and bacterial pathogens by applying the polymer to the air filtration material and textiles. The data suggest that the simple addition of cationic material can result in the improvement of an infectious resilient environment against viral and bacterial pathogens.
Photocleavable Guide RNA for Photocontrolled CRISPR/Cas9 System
Authors: Akhmetova E. A. , Vokhtantsev I. P. , Meschaninova M. I. , Vorobyeva M. A. , Zharkov D. O. , Novopashina D. S. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Objective: The development of CRISPR/Cas-based gene-editing systems having a higher efficacy and specificity, and capable of changing activity in response to light irradiation is an urgent problem. A promising approach to this problem is to modify CRISPR/Cas components, in particular guide RNA, by introducing photocleavable linkers. We developed an approach to the synthesis of photocleavable single guide RNA (sgRNA) for the CRISPR/Cas9 system containing linkers on the basis of 1-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,2-ethanediol. Such photomodified guide RNAs are cleaved under UV irradiation, thereby inactivating the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Methods: Automatic solid-phase phosphoramidate method was used for photomodified sgRNA synthesis. Model plasmid was used for designed system testing. Results and Discussion: We obtained three variants of photomodified sgRNA with different photolinker positions. Evidence was obtained showing that the sgRNA with the photolinker introduced in the protein Cas9 site of binding and hairpin formation is able to effectively guide Cas9 nuclease for target DNA cleavage before UV irradiation and lose its activity after irradiation. The conditions of controllable 40% cleavage of a model target DNA were chosen. Conclusions: The work presents the results of photocleavable sgRNA design and usage as a component of photoregulated CRISPR/Cas9 system. The developed approach makes possible specific inactivation of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system in a specific time moment in a definite place. The photoregulation of the gene-editing system not only allows one to reduce undesirable off-target effects, but also forms the basis for genetic disease therapy.
Biotechnological Production of the Recombinant Two-Component Lantibiotic Lichenicidin in a Bacterial Expression System
Authors: Antoshina D. V. , Balandin S. V. , Tagaev A. A. , Potemkina A. A. , Ovchinnikova T. V. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Objective: Lantibiotics are a family of bacterial antimicrobial peptides synthesized by ribosomes, that undergo post-translational modification to form lanthionine (Lan) and methyllanthionine (MeLan) residues. Lantibiotics are currently considered promising agents for combating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. This paper presents a biotechnological method for obtaining two components of the lantibiotic lichenicidin from Bacillus licheniformis B-511, Lchα and Lchβ. Such a system has the potential to facilitate the production of not only lichenicidin, but also other lantibiotics, including two-component ones, and also to enable the study of their biosynthesis and the activity and substrate specificity of modifying enzymes. Methods: The developed system is based on heterologous coexpression of the genes of Lchα and Lchβ precursors with the genes of their corresponding modifying enzymes in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Subsequent steps included immobilized metal affinity chromatography of the His-tagged hybrid peptide under denaturing conditions, cyanogen bromide cleavage in acidic medium, and final purification using reverse-phase HPLC. Results and Discussion: The system was employed for the expression and purification of lantibiotics, resulting in the successful isolation of the β-component of lichenicidin in high yield (approximately 4 mg/L of culture). This purified beta component exhibited structural and functional characteristics comparable to its natural counterpart, which was purified from the natural producer. However, the yield of the mature α-component of lichenicidin in such a system was significantly lower. Conclusions: The work presents a biotechnological method for obtaining recombinant two-component lantibiotic lichenicidin, which has proven to be particularly effective in the case of Lchβ. The developed method can also be applied to the production of other promising lantibiotics and their further research.
An introduction to phase ordering in scalar active matter
Authors: Meissner Laura , Yeomans Julia M. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThese notes provide an introduction to phase ordering in dry, scalar active matter. We first briefly review Model A and Model B, the long-standing continuum descriptions of ordering in systems with a non-conserved and conserved scalar order parameter. We then contrast different ways in which the field theories can be extended so that the phase ordering persists, but in systems that are active and do not reach thermodynamic equilibrium. The active models allow a wide range of dynamical steady states not seen in their passive counterparts. These include microphase separation, active foams and travelling density bands.