pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment for Nursing Home Residents with Dementia

Purpose
Many nursing home (NH) residents with dementia receive burdensome, aggressive treatments at the end of life (EOL). The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatments (POLSTs) paradigm is a strategy to enhance EOL care. This article describes the history and features of the POLST paradigm, discusses the potential advantages of using this paradigm for NH residents with dementia, and briefly explores challenges that nurse practitioners (NPs) face in using the POLST for persons with dementia.

Data sources
Review of the literature.

Conclusions
Potential advantages associated with implementation of POLST in NH residents with dementia include increased communication and documentation about residents’ EOL care preferences, increased concordance between care preferences documented in POLST forms and EOL care provided to residents, and lower rates of unwanted, burdensome treatments at EOL. POLST may also guide NPs in communicating EOL care options with residents and/or their surrogates. However, difficulty interpreting and explaining POLST care options, lack of understanding of POLST, limited discussions, and issues with surrogate authority and scope of practice are challenges that NPs may face in caring for NH residents with dementia.

Implications for practice
NPs should assess and optimize their knowledge and skills to conduct goals of care discussions, including POLST discussions
Motion analysis of furniture under seismic excitation using the finite element method

Improperly secured furniture, especially on the upper floors of high‐rise buildings under long‐period ground motion, can prove dangerous to human life. Fallen items of furniture such as chairs and desks could become fatal obstacles that prevent efficient evacuation. In this research, an effective numerical code for analyzing the motion of furniture subjected to seismic excitations was developed. The numerical code is based on the adaptively shifted integration — Gauss technique, which is a finite element scheme that provides higher computational efficiency than the conventional code. The frictional contact between objects was fully considered by employing a sophisticated penalty method. Various excitation tests of furniture were conducted on a shake‐table. In the experiments, steel cabinets were excited by seismic waves and displacement data were recorded by a motion capture system. The numerical results were validated through a comparison with the shake‐table test results
Plant Virus Transmission by Insects

9 pages; tables and figuresMost plant viruses depend on vectors for their survival and spread. Most vectors are\ud
piercing-sucking insects that transmit plant viruses in either the circulative virus (CV) or\ud
noncirculative virus (NCV). NCV are carried on the lining cuticle of vectors stylets. CVs\ud
cross the vectors’ gut, move internally to the salivary glands (SG), cross the SG\ud
membranes to be ejected upon feeding.\ud
Transmissibility of NCVs depends on motifs of coat protein and for Potyviruses and\ud
Caulimoviruses also on helper proteins (encoded by the virus). NCV proteins were\ud
found to associate with vectors’ cuticle proteins. Transmissibility of CVs depends on\ud
proteins comprising the virus capsid (the coat protein and the read-through protein)\ud
and on symbionin (produced by vectors’ symbionts). Passage of CV through the gut has\ud
been also associated with vectors’ proteins.\ud
To suppress plant virus epidemics, several control measures that interfere with vector\ud
landing or feeding are proposed.Peer reviewe
Supercoiled DNA: Structure

Supercoiling is introduced into DNA molecules when the double helix is twisted around its own axis in three‐dimensional space. Experimental techniques that are sensitive to molecular shape can be used to analyse the topological states of DNA, but the approaches used most successfully are high-speed centrifugation, high-resolution microscopy and gel electrophoresis. Generally, DNA molecules are negatively supercoiled inside cells, although the level of supercoiling is not equal throughout the genome and many supercoils may be constrained by bound proteins. Supercoiling increases the free energy of DNA and influences DNA metabolism by promoting or hindering specific enzymatic processes. DNA topoisomerases are the main enzymes that regulate DNA topology and several different types of enzymes are present in all cells
Altruism - a philosophical analysis

Altruism is a malleable notion that is understood differently in various disciplines. The common denominator of most definitions of altruism is the idea of unidirectional helping behaviour. However, a closer examination reveals that the term altruism sometimes refers to the outcomes of a helping behaviour for the agent and its neighbours - i.e. reproductive altruism - and sometimes to what motivates the agent to help others - i.e. psychological altruism. Since these perspectives on altruism are crucially different, it is important to use a clear terminology to avoid confusion. In particular, we show that the notion of altruism used by biologists profoundly differs from the ones used by philosophers, psychologists and economists in cross-disciplinary debates about human altruism
Eusociality and cooperation

The evolution of eusociality, here defined as the emergence of societies with reproductive division of labour and cooperative brood care, was first seen as a challenge to Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Why should individuals permanently forgo direct reproduction to help other individuals to reproduce? Kin selection, the indirect transmission of genes through relatives, is the key process explaining the evolution of permanently nonreproductive helpers. However, in some taxa helpers delay reproduction until a breeding opportunity becomes available. Overall, eusociality evolved when ecological conditions promote stable associations of related individuals that benefit from jointly exploiting and defending common resources. High levels of cooperation and robust mechanisms of division of labour are found in many animal societies. However, conflicts among individuals are still frequent when group members that are not genetically identical compete over reproduction or resource allocation
Human Genome Project, personalised medicine and future health care

Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved. Full work available on Wiley Online Library at http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118732294.htmlAt the turn of the millennium, the Human Genome Project and the upcoming publication of the human genome sequence promised to open an entirely new approach to healthcare, based on the genotype of the individual. This approach was dubbed personalised medicine (PM). However, the analysis of sequencing results revealed that the complexity of the biological world had been underestimated. The major project of revolutionising medicine through genomics requires a more sophisticated and multilevel understanding of living systems, which in turn demands new data, models and modes of intervention on humans and non-human organisms. Thus, the most advanced applications of PM involve a complex interweaving of biological and medical knowledge, as well as increasing attention to the technical systems through which data about any specific individual could be processed. Further, the development of PM needs to include consideration of several key ethical issues, ranging from privacy and data control to the risk that dependence on sophisticated technologies will widen the gap between haves and have-nots both globally and within any one country
Ecogenetics of mercury: From genetic polymorphisms and epigenetics to risk assessment and decision‐making

The risk assessment of mercury (Hg), in both humans and wildlife, is made challenging by great variability in exposure and health effects. Although disease risk arises following complex interactions between genetic (“nature”) and environmental (“nurture”) factors, most Hg studies thus far have focused solely on environmental factors. In recent years, ecogenetic‐based studies have emerged and have started to document genetic and epigenetic factors that may indeed influence the toxicokinetics or toxicodynamics of Hg. The present study reviews these studies and discusses their utility in terms of Hg risk assessment, management, and policy and offers perspectives on fruitful areas for future research. In brief, epidemiological studies on populations exposed to inorganic Hg (e.g., dentists and miners) or methylmercury (e.g., fish consumers) are showing that polymorphisms in a number of environmentally responsive genes can explain variations in Hg biomarker values and health outcomes. Studies on mammals (wildlife, humans, rodents) are showing Hg exposures to be related to epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation. Such findings are beginning to increase understanding of the mechanisms of action of Hg, and in doing so they may help identify candidate biomarkers and pinpoint susceptible groups or life stages. Furthermore, they may help refine uncertainty factors and thus lead to more accurate risk assessments and improved decision‐making.  Environ Toxicol Chem  2014;33:1248–1258. © 2013 SETA
Modelling plant cell growth.

Plants are sessile organisms and they must adapt their growth to a changing environment. Understanding plant growth requires to study the interplay of turgor, cellular hydrodynamics, mechanical properties of cell walls and addition of materials to cell walls, as well as the actions of phytohormones. Mathematical modelling is a useful tool for tackling the complexity in plant growth. The scope of this article is to discuss the fundamental aspects of modelling plant cell growth. In order for a plant cell to grow, the cell wall must expand, water must enter the cell and turgor pressure must be able to provide mechanical support. During cell growth, the relative change in the water volume and the relative change in cell wall chamber volume are approximately equal. Mathematical equations for modelling plant cell growth are described to establish how cell volume and turgor can be calculated. Mathematical equations for ion transport are introduced to establish how osmotic pressure can be calculated. Combination of those equations formulates a method for modelling plant cell growth. Modelling of auxin dynamics, which play a key role in controlling cell expansion, is also described. One of the future challenges is to model the interplay between plant growth and auxin dynamics
The role of biodiversity

Human activities have caused widespread loss of biodiversity raising concern about the potential impact on ecosystem processes (flows of energy and materials). A large body of recent research has shown that as species are lost from ecosystems there is, generally, a minor impact on ecosystem processes, but that this impact increases disproportionately as species diversity declines. Functional complementarity among species, due to variation in the ecological niches occupy, appears to be the main mechanism driving this pattern.  Species diversity is also usually positively related to ecosystem stability i.e. their variation through time and the resistance and resilience to perturbation. These findings are already powerful arguments for the conservation of biodiversity, though current research aims to increase their relevance to the real world by including a more extensive range of ecosystems and processes, realistic food web structures, realistic (non-random) extinction scenarios and larger spatial scales
Parental Care and Investment

Parental care is common throughout the animal kingdom and among caring species there is a bewildering variation in how parents care for offspring, as well as in the amount of resources parents invest in care. For instance, there is considerable variation in the relative parental investment by the sexes – in some species females invest more, in others males invest more, and in some investment is more or less equally shared. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain patterns of parental investment between the sexes, as well as among species, and work is still ongoing  to develop an overarching hypothesis that can explain the various patterns observedPeer reviewe
Non-B DNA structure and mutations causing human genetic disease

Besides the canonical right‐handed double helix, biologically important noncanonical deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) secondary structures have been characterised, including quadruplexes, triplexes, slipped/hairpins, Z‐DNA and cruciforms, collectively termed non‐B DNA. Formation of non‐B DNA is mediated by repetitive sequence motifs, such as G‐rich sequences, purine/pyrimidine tracts, direct (tandem) repeats, alternating purine–pyrimidines and inverted repeats, respectively. Such repeats are abundant in the human genome and non‐B DNA occurs at specific genomic locations, supporting a role in gene regulation, RNA translation and protein function. Repetitive motifs are also found at sites of chromosomal alterations associated with both human genetic disease and cancer. Characterised by an inherent capacity to expand spontaneously, such sequences not only cause >30 neurological diseases but may also contribute to disease susceptibility. The formation of non‐B DNA structures is believed to promote genomic alterations by impeding efficient and error‐free DNA replication, transcription and repair
Origin and Genetic Diversity of Pig Breeds

10 páginas, 5 figuras, 1 tabla.Genetic and archaeological findings suggest that pig domestication began about 9000–10 000 YBP at multiple sites across Eurasia, followed by their subsequent spread at a worldwide scale. Development of local types throughout the centuries led to the foundation, mostly during the nineteenth century, of current modern breeds with defined phenotypes and production abilities. Extensive intercrossing markedly increased the gene pool of these founder populations. For instance, it is well known that many European pig breeds carry Far Eastern haplotypes at high frequencies because of an ancient introgression with Chinese swine. Since then, artificial selection, genetic bottlenecks and inbreeding have significantly modified the allelic diversity of pig breeds. In the next future, state-of-the-art scientific advances as well as conservation programmes will be fundamental to preserve the genetic reservoir of pig breeds as well as to exploit it in the context of artificial selection schemes.Peer reviewe
Modelling plant hormone gradients.

Cellular patterning in the Arabidopsis root is coordinated via a localised auxin concentration maximum in the root tip, requiring the regulated expression of specific genes. The activities of plant hormones such as auxin, ethylene and cytokinin depend on cellular context and exhibit either synergistic or antagonistic interactions. Due to the complexity and nonlinearity of spatiotemporal interactions between both hormones and gene expression in root development, modelling plant hormone gradients requires a systems approach in which experimental data and modelling analysis are closely combined. Modelling therefore allows a predictive interrogation of highly complex and nonintuitive interactions between components in the system. Important factors to be considered when modelling hormone gradients include the construction of a hormonal crosstalk network, the formulation of kinetic equations and the construction of an in silico root map. A modelling approach enables the analysis of relationships between multiple hormone gradients, predictions on how hormone gradients emerge under the action of hormonal crosstalk, and the prediction and elucidation of experimental results from mutant roots
Evolutionary history of brown and polar bears.

Taxonomists have long recognised polar and brown bears as separate species with distinct ecological niches and largely nonoverlapping ranges. Surprisingly, phylogenetic studies of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) found polar bears nested within brown bears, with an estimated divergence time of <170 000 years. This indicated an unusually rapid speciation and adaptation of polar bears. However, several recent studies of autosomal and Y‐chromosomal DNA have revisited these findings, giving independent perspectives of bear evolutionary history. Results show that polar bears cluster separately from brown bears, and divergence time estimates are older than those based on mtDNA, ranging from >300 000 to 4–5 million years. These studies confirm uniqueness of the polar bear lineage, provide more time for speciation and adaptation, and have uncovered numerous candidate genes for evolutionary adaptations. Several instances of introgressive hybridisation between polar and brown bears have been inferred, revealing trans‐species transmission of mtDNA and some nuclear loci
Environmental NMR: Fast-field-cycling Relaxometry

Fast-field-cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry deals with the variation of the spin–lattice relaxation times (T1) in a complex system, as the strength of the applied magnetic field is changed. Information about molecular dynamics can be achieved. Until now, only model theories for FFC NMR relaxometry have been developed for polymer and material sciences. Just a few applications have been performed in the environmental sciences. These mainly deal with soil porosity, rock permeability, biomass transformations, and natural organic matter dynamics. Further, FFC NMR relaxometry can also be applied to monitor the environmental fate of contaminants, to understand the dynamics of nutrients at the soil–plant interface, and to evaluate reaction mechanisms in heterogeneous catalysis for the development of green reactions. This article summarizes the advances of the technique in environmental investigations and describes the tools used to monitor dynamics of organic and inorganic molecules in environmental compartments
Modern NMR Pulse Sequences in Pharmaceutical R & D

NMR pulse sequences are surveyed for solution-state methods that serve as typical, robust techniques in pharmaceutical or chemical NMR laboratories. Attention is drawn to up-to-date methods capable of enhancing sensitivity, resolution, and information content. Sequences range from those used for pulse calibration and field homogeneity adjustment, through one- and two-dimensional homo- and heteronuclear methods for solution-phase work. Techniques used for editing, resolving, and simplifying data are highlighted and extensive use is made of sequence diagrams to present the basic structure of each pulse sequence in pictorial form. Where appropriate, descriptions of each sequence and some examples of data are provided and attention drawn to the advantages of using each technique
Metabolism and Metabolomics by MRS

The main use of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is for the assessment of metabolism in vivo; that is because it has the unique ability to monitor metabolism noninvasively without the use of ionizing radiation. In recent years, MRS has also become widely used for metabolomics, the science that aspires to monitor the metabolome – the totality of small-molecule metabolites in an organism, a cell, or a disease. This article discusses the properties of MRS that make it suitable for metabolomic studies and the reasons why such studies are mainly performed ex vivo, as well as the methods used for preparing samples, performing the MRS and analyzing the resulting data. Further sections discuss MRS detection of metabolic aspects of the common cellular processes apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. The final section summarizes metabolic studies of some diseases by MRS: cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, and muscle disease.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470034590.emrstm146
Clinical Trials of MRS Methods

In order to determine the applicability of noninvasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to the study of a diseased tissue or organ in the human body, it is necessary to determine if MRS is safe and effective. This is the primary purpose of a clinical trial. A clinical trial for MRS may also reveal which technical approach works best for the specific application and characteristics of the population being studied. In this chapter, we discuss the legal, ethical, and scientific requirements to be considered prior to the start of a clinical trial of an MRS protocol, as well as constraints that may arise during its execution. MRS-specific issues arising from a couple of successful clinical MRS trials for classifying brain tumors with 1H MRS (INTERPRET and eTUMOUR) and body tumors with 31P MRS  (the Cooperative Group on MRS Application in Cancer, CoGMAC), serve as illustrative examples.JRG thanks The University of Cambridge, CRUK [grant number C14303/A17197] and Hutchison Whampoa Limited. FAM thanks the National Cancer Institute (NIH) from the United States for their support through grants R01-CA118559 and R21-CA152858. FAM wish to thank Dr. Radka Stoyanova from the University of Miami for helpful contributions to the principal component analysis discussion. MJ is funded by SAF2014-52332-R from MINECO (ES) and CIBER-BBN (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red – Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina  [http://www.ciber-bbn.es/en]), an initiative of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain) co-funded by EU FEDER funds.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470034590.emrstm147
Prior distribution elicitation

An overview of key issues associated with the elicitation of a prior probability distribution is provided. The nature of subjective probability is discussed, and the main causes of biased assessments are identified. Evidence is presented suggesting that people can improve their probability assessments under the correct conditions. The ways in which the elicitation of a prior distribution can be embedded within a process to minimize the impact of bias are examined. More advanced issues, namely validation of a prior distribution and reducing the cognitive burden on experts, are described
Navigation in Antarctica Today: The Global Positioning System

This site contains information that students use to investigate the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in Antarctica and across the globe. They conduct research on the Web to understand how and why GPS is used today. They also complete a hands-on activity that is based on spatial principles similar to those used by GPS; they learn how GPS works by doing on paper the work of GPS satellites in space. Throughout this weeklong activity, students collect their findings in a portfolio. The comprehensive curriculum materials contain teacher tools, which include individually downloadable readings, detailed daily breakdowns of tasks, teacher strategies for using the activities, a portfolio grading sheet, a project rubric sheet, and additional readings. Two activities - a Web research project on GPS and how it is used today, and a hands-on activity - are provided. Interviews with a geophysicist who maps geologic formations beneath the ice and a glaciologist who studies the Antarctic ice sheets movement are included. Other items at this site include a student handout with guidance for putting together portfolios and examples of creative final projects. Educational levels: High school, Middle school
Controlled release of drugs from tablet coatings

Controlled - release technology for drug delivery applications is designed to target the drug to particular places or cells in the body, to overcome certain tissue and cellular barriers, and to control the duration and level of the drug in the body within a spefi cied therapeutic window. This usually implies achieving a prolonged, zero - order release rate over the desired duration of drug delivery. Controlled - release
dosage forms provide sustained drug release and require less frequent drug loading than conventional forms. Thus, the toxic side effects of the drug are minimized and patient ’ s convenience and ompliance are improved