bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient-reported fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who commence biologic therapy: a longitudinal study
Authors: Rinke Hege Selheim , Gjesdal Clara Beate Gram , Markussen Heidi , Assmus Jörg , Natvig Gerd Karin 
Published: April 2019

Aims and objectives
To examine changes in patient-reported fatigue, over a twelve month period, in rheumatoid arthritis patients who commence biologic treatment, and to identify possible predictors for such changes.

Background
Fatigue is a burdensome symptom for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Despite biologics being effective in reducing disease activity, patients still report fatigue.

Design
A longitudinal observational study.

Methods
A total of 48 patients were enrolled in the study. Fatigue was measured by the Fatigue Severity Scale. Independent samples T-tests were used to test gender differences, and paired samples T-tests were used to measure differences between repeated measures. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were used to examine potential predictors for changes in fatigue, such as age, sex, Disease Activity Score 28, pain and physical and emotional well-being.

Results
Forty-seven patients completed the study. From baseline to 12-month follow-up, fatigue decreased significantly in both women and men. Analyses of predictors were performed step-wise, and the final model included sex and physical well-being. The results from this final step showed that female sex was the only significant predictor for changes in fatigue.

Conclusion
Patients commencing biologic therapy reported a significant reduction in fatigue. Female sex was a significant predictor of changes in fatigue.

Relevance to clinical practice
Despite improvements in pharmacological treatment, patients with rheumatoid arthritis still report fatigue. This is a multifaceted health problem encompassing personal and emotional factors in addition to the clinical factors directly connected to the disease.
Modelling of Hydration Characteristics of Five Varieties of Cowpea Grains
Authors: Isa J. , Oyerinde A. S. , Jimoh K. A. , Jegede A. O. 
Published: April 2019

Introduction: The hydration of grains is a process that consists of soaking them in water in order to increase their moisture content and this is a crucial step in industrialized processing and provides several beneficial effects on their physicochemical and nutritional qualities.
Aims: This study focused on modeling of hydration characteristics of five varieties of cowpea which are: Gombe, Oloyin white, Drum, Oloyin brown and Sokoto cultivated in Nigeria.
Methodology: The experiments were carried out using electronic water bath at five temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60, and 70°C) in three replications. The amount of water absorption by five selected varieties of cowpea grains was calculated by measuring the increase in the mass of soaked grains per time. Five standard models of water absorption were fitted to the experimental data. Coefficient of determination (R2), chi-square (x2) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to evaluate the models.
Results: The initial moisture content of the saturated cowpea was estimated as 13.56 ±1.15, 15.05 ±2.27, 13.30 ±0.37, 10.85 ±0.13, 12.40 ±0.13 for Gombe, Oloyin white, Drum, Oloyin brown and Sokoto varieties respectively. The water uptake of the cowpea was faster at the initial stage and gradually slow down until the equilibrium moisture content was attained for all the varieties.
Conclusions: Weibull model was adjudged as the best fitted model for describing the water absorption property of all the varieties of the cowpea and the Activation energy of Gombe, Oloyin white, Drum, Oloyin brown and Sokoto varieties are 42.26 ± 4.65, 40.36 ±8.90, 39.47 ±8.62, 43.08 ±5.25 and 39.66 ±6.72 respectively.
Macromolecular Machineries in Cell‐Wall Recycling
Authors: Batuecas María T , Hermoso Juan A 
Published: April 2019

Abstract

Peptidoglycan, the major constituent of bacterial cell wall, is a huge polymeric macromolecule composed of glycan strands covalently linked by interconnecting peptide stems and critical for survival of bacteria. Peptidoglycan is constantly edited, biosynthesised and degraded, during essential bacterial processes such as division, elongation or insertion of the cellular machinery (e.g. flagella, pili) into cell wall. Degradation fragments are recovered, especially in Gram‐negative bacteria, by active transport and recycled to rebuild the wall. In some important Gram‐negative pathogens, β‐lactam resistance is directly linked to peptidoglycan recycling. The recycling process requires orchestration of different lytic enzymes and transporters from periplasm, the inner membrane, to cytoplasm. Recent structural and functional studies have provided relevant insights into enzymatic regulation, substrate specificity and activity of the lytic machineries involved in recycling with relevant implications in antibiotics resistance.

Key Concepts

Peptidoglycan recycling is an essential process in Gram‐negative bacteria that recovers self‐degradation products of cell wall in the cytoplasm to reutilise them to rebuild the wall.

PG recycling is important in cell‐wall biosynthesis and in bacterial communication in many bacteria, and in antibiotics resistance in some pathogens from Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae families.

PG recycling involves a large number of enzymes and transporters spanning from periplasm, inner and outer membranes, and cytoplasm.

Lytic transglycosylases (LTs) are periplasmic and, typically, modular enzymes that initiate PG recycling by non‐hydrolytic degradation of glycan chains. They are classified in six families. Several LTs are found in each Gram‐negative bacterium.

The Slt structure reveals how, under the effect of β‐lactam antibiotics, the cell wall is repaired by degradation of aberrant nascent PG chains and how it initiates the resistance phenotype.

MltF is a modular membrane‐bound LT that experiences allosteric activation triggered by muropeptides.

PG amidases are present in periplasm and cytoplasm. Activity in periplasm is regulated by cellular location, protein–protein interactions and oligomeric state. An activation mechanism has been discovered for cytosolic enzymes.

Anhydro‐muropeptides are the key molecules to activate the AmpR to induce AmpC β‐lactamase in response to β‐lactam challenge.

Regulation (in space and time) of the catalytic processes as well as of interaction between different partners is essential in PG recycling enzymes.
IL4‐Receptor‐Targeted Dual Antitumoral Apoptotic Peptide—siRNA Conjugate Lipoplexes
Authors: Luo Jie , Höhn Miriam , Reinhard Sören , Loy Dominik M. , Klein Philipp Michael , Wagner Ernst 
Published: April 2019

AbstractTargeted delivery remains the major limitation in the development of small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics. The successful siRNA multistep delivery requires precise carriers of substantial complexity. To achieve this, a monodisperse carrier is presented, synthesized by solid‐phase supported chemistry. The sequence‐defined assembly contains two oleic acids attached to a cationizable oligoaminoamide backbone in T‐shape configuration, and a terminal azide functionality for coupling to the atherosclerotic plaque‐specific peptide‐1 (AP‐1) as the cell targeting ligand for interleukin‐4 receptor (IL‐4R) which is overexpressed in a variety of solid cancers. For combined cytosolic delivery with siRNA, different apoptotic peptides (KLK, BAK, and BAD) are covalently conjugated via bioreversible disulfide linkage to the 5′‐end of the siRNA sense strand. siRNA‐KLK conjugates provide the highest antitumoral potency. The optimized targeted carrier is complexed with dual antitumoral siEG5‐KLK conjugates. The functionality of each subdomain is individually confirmed. The lipo‐oligomer confers stable assembly of siRNA conjugates into spherical 150–250 nm sized nanoparticles. Click‐shielding with dibenzocyclootyne‐PEG‐AP‐1 (DBCO‐PEG‐AP‐1) mediates an IL‐4R‐specific cell targeting and gene silencing in tumor cells. Most importantly, formulation of the siEG5‐KLK conjugate displays enhanced apoptotic tumor cell killing due to the combined effect of mitotic arrest by EG5 gene silencing and mitochondrial membrane disruption by KLK.
Designing Bioinspired 2D MoSe2 Nanosheet for Efficient Photothermal‐Triggered Cancer Immunotherapy with Reprogramming Tumor‐Associated Macrophages
Authors: He Lizhen , Nie Tianqi , Xia Xiaojun , Liu Ting , Huang Yanyu , Wang Xiaojuan , Chen Tianfeng 
Published: April 2019

AbstractNonspecific absorption and clearance of nanomaterials during circulation is the major cause for treatment failure in nanomedicine‐based cancer therapy. Therefore, herein bioinspired red blood cell (RBC) membrane is employed to camouflage 2D MoSe2 nanosheets with high photothermal conversion efficiency to achieve enhanced hemocompatibility and circulation time by preventing macrophage phagocytosis. RBC–MoSe2‐potentiated photothermal therapy (PTT) demonstrates potent in vivo antitumor efficacy, which triggers the release of tumor‐associated antigens to activate cytotoxic T lymphocytes and inactivate the PD‐1/PD‐L1 pathway to avoid immunologic escape. Furthermore, in the ablated tumor microenvironment, the tumor‐associated macrophages are effectively reprogrammed to tumoricidal M1 phenotype to potentiate the antitumor action. Taken together, this biomimetic functionalization thus provides a substantial advance in personalized PTT‐triggered immunotherapy for clinical translation.
Semitransparent, Flexible, and Self‐Powered Photodetectors Based on Ferroelectricity‐Assisted Perovskite Nanowire Arrays
Authors: Cao Fengren , Tian Wei , Wang Meng , Cao Heping , Li Liang 
Published: April 2019

AbstractTransparent and flexible photodetectors hold great promise in next‐generation portable and wearable optoelectronic devices. However, most of the previously reported devices need an external energy power source to drive its operation or require complex fabrication processes. Herein, designed is a semitransparent, flexible, and self‐powered photodetector based on the integrated ferroelectric poly(vinylidene‐fluoride‐trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF‐TrFE)) and perovskite nanowire arrays on the flexible polyethylene naphthalate substrate via a facile imprinting method. Through optimizing the treatment conditions, including polarization voltage, polarization time, and the concentration of P(VDF‐TrFE), the resulting device exhibits remarkable detectivity (7.3 × 1012 Jones), fast response time (88/154 µs) at zero bias, as well as outstanding mechanical stability. The excellent performance is attributed to the efficient charge separation and transport originating from the highly oriented 1D transport pathway and the polarization‐induced internal electric field within P(VDF‐TrFE)/perovskite hybrid nanowire arrays.
Direct Writing of a 90 wt% Particle Loading Nanothermite
Authors: Wang Haiyang , Shen Jinpeng , Kline Dylan J. , Eckman Noah , Agrawal Niti R. , Wu Tao , Wang Peng , Zachariah Michael R. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe additive manufacturing of energetic materials has received worldwide attention. Here, an ink formulation is developed with only 10 wt% of polymers, which can bind a 90 wt% nanothermite using a simple direct‐writing approach. The key additive in the ink is a hybrid polymer of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) in which the former serves as an energetic initiator and a binder, and the latter is a thickening agent and the other binder, which can form a gel. The rheological shear‐thinning properties of the ink are critical to making the formulation at such high loadings printable. The Young's modulus of the printed stick is found to compare favorably with that of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), with a particle packing density at the theoretical maximum. The linear burn rate, mass burn rate, flame temperature, and heat flux are found to be easily adjusted by varying the fuel/oxidizer ratio. The average flame temperatures are as high as ≈2800 K with near‐complete combustion being evident upon examination of the postcombustion products.
Wearable and Skin‐Mountable Fiber‐Optic Strain Sensors Interrogated by a Free‐Running, Dual‐Comb Fiber Laser
Authors: Guo Jingjing , Zhao Kangjun , Zhou Bingqian , Ning Wen , Jiang Kaili , Yang Changxi , Kong Lingjie , Dai Qionghai 
Published: April 2019

AbstractWearable and skin‐mountable strain sensors are highly demanding for monitoring skin deformations induced by human activities. Realization of such sensor devices based on fiber‐optic approaches offers attractive advantages such as electromagnetic immunity and inherent electric safety in comparison to their electronic counterparts. However, fiber‐optic sensors, conventionally made of stiff silica fibers, are not mechanically compliant with the soft human skins and have limited strain range (<1%) for measuring large deformations. Here, a stretchable fiber Bragg grating (FBG)‐based optical (SFO) strain sensor with skin‐like compliance for human activity monitoring is presented. The SFO sensor is fabricated by a sinuous‐shaped FBG incorporated with a stretchable substrate that responds to strain deformations by shifting of the Bragg wavelength. This structural design enables measurement of various dynamic strains associated with tension, bending and torsion in a large sensing range up to 50%. To facilitate wearable integrations, a novel free‐running fiber laser with coherent dual‐comb output is developed to interrogate the SFO sensors by dual‐comb spectroscopy, which enables fast spectral acquisition with a single photodiode. It is shown that the SFO strain sensors can be used for wearable and skin‐mountable detection of diverse human activities including breathing, phonation, facial expression, and joint movements in real time.
A Room‐Temperature Molten Hydrate Electrolyte for Rechargeable Zinc–Air Batteries
Authors: Chen Chih‐Yao , Matsumoto Kazuhiko , Kubota Keigo , Hagiwara Rika , Xu Qiang 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAqueous Zn‐based batteries are attracting extensive interest because of their economic feasibility and potentially high energy density. However, poor rechargeability of Zn anode in conventional electrolytes resulting from dendrite formation and self‐corrosion hinders their practical implementation. Herein, a Zn molten hydrate composed of inorganic Zn salt and water is demonstrated as an advantageous electrolyte for solving these issues. In this electrolyte, dendrite‐free Zn deposition/dissolution reaction with a high Coulombic efficiency (≈99%) as well as long‐term stability, free from CO2 poisoning are realized. The resultant Zn–air cell exhibits a reversible capacity of 1000 mAh g(catalyst)−1 over 100 cycles at 30 °C. Combined with the intrinsic safety associated with aqueous chemistry and cost benefit of the raw material, the present Zn–air battery makes a strong candidate for large‐scale energy storage.
Climatic adaptation in human inferior nasal turbinate morphology: Evidence from Arctic and equatorial populations
Authors: Marks Tarah N. , Maddux Scott D. , Butaric Lauren N. , Franciscus Robert G. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractObjectivesThe nasal turbinates directly influence the overall size, shape, and surface area of the nasal passages, and thus contribute to intranasal heat and moisture exchange. However, unlike the encapsulating walls of the nasal cavity, ecogeographic variation in nasal turbinate morphology among humans has not yet been established. Here we investigate variation in inferior nasal turbinate morphology in two populations from climatically extreme environments.Materials and methodsTwenty‐three linear measurements of the inferior turbinate, nasal cavity walls, and airway passages were collected from CT scans of indigenous modern human crania from Equatorial Africa (n = 35) and the Arctic Circle (n = 35). MANOVA and ANCOVA were employed to test for predicted regional and sex differences in morphology between the samples.ResultsSignificant morphological differences were identified between the two regional samples, with no evidence of significant sexual dimorphism or region‐sex interaction effect. Individuals from the Arctic Circle possessed superoinferiorly and mediolaterally larger inferior turbinates compared to Equatorial Africans. In conjunction with the surrounding nasal cavity walls, these differences in turbinate morphology produced airway dimensions that were both consistent with functional expectations and more regionally distinct than either skeletal component independently.ConclusionThis study documents the existence of ecogeographic variation in human nasal turbinate morphology reflecting climate‐mediated evolutionary demands on intranasal heat and moisture exchange. Humans adapted to cold‐dry environments exhibit turbinate morphologies that enhance contact between respired air and nasal mucosa to facilitate respiratory air conditioning. Conversely, humans adapted to hot‐humid environments exhibit turbinate morphologies that minimize air‐to‐mucosa contact, likely to minimize airflow resistance and/or facilitate expiratory heat‐shedding.
A Peanut‐Shaped Polyaromatic Capsule: Solvent‐Dependent Transformation and Electronic Properties of a Non‐Contacted Fullerene Dimer
Authors: Matsumoto Kyosuke , Kusaba Shunsuke , Tanaka Yuya , Sei Yoshihisa , Akita Munetaka , Aritani Kazushi , Haga Masa‐aki , Yoshizawa Michito 
Published: April 2019

AbstractSynthesis of molecular containers capable of incorporating multiple fullerenes remains challenging. Reported here is that room‐temperature mixing of metal ions with W‐shaped bispyridine ligands featuring polyaromatic panels results in the quantitative formation of a peanut‐shaped M2L4 capsule. The capsule reversibly converts into two molecules of an ML2 double tube in response to changes in the solvent. Notably, the capsule allows the incorporation of two fullerene molecules into the connected two spherical cavities at room temperature. The close proximity yet non‐contact of the encapsulated C60 molecules, with a separation of 6.4 Å, was revealed by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. The resultant, unusual fullerene dimer undergoes sequential reduction within the capsule to generate (C60.−)2, C60.−⋅C602−, and (C602−)2 species. Furthermore, temperature‐controlled stepwise incorporation of two C60 molecules into the capsule is demonstrated.
Functional Polyion Complex Vesicles Enabled by Supramolecular Reversible Coordination Polyelectrolytes
Authors: Zhou Wenjuan , Wang Jiahua , Ding Peng , Guo Xuhong , Cohen Stuart Martien A. , Wang Junyou 
Published: April 2019

AbstractReported here is a new class of PICsomes (vesicles formed by polyelectrolyte complexation) in which the anionic/neutral diblock copolymer is replaced by an anionic, reversible, supramolecular polyelectrolyte based on metal–ligand coordination. This supramolecular polyelectrolyte forms exclusively inside the wall of the assembly, and therefore self‐adjusts its length to that of the cationic block provided. Moreover, the supramolecular coordination polyelectrolytes introduce new and tunable properties and functions associated with the specific metal. As a proof‐of‐concept Mn‐based PICsomes were prepared and display high magnetic relaxivity, as well as enhanced contrast in in vitro magnetic resonance imaging tests. The simplicity of our approach, together with the new functions derived from the metal ions, demonstrates a robust strategy for the preparation of a variety of PICsomes with well‐defined and tunable structures and properties.
Google classroom as a learning management system to teach biochemistry in a medical school
Authors: Dash Sambit 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMedical education has adopted various e‐learning technologies to its aid. Addition of Google Classroom, introduced in 2014, as a Learning Management System (LMS) has provided a basic, easy to use platform. This study tested its efficacy in teaching a biochemistry module to first year MBBS students in an Indian medical school. Better access to learning material and supplementary teaching resources, helpfulness of immediate feedback, and learning outside of class environment were reported by students. Preference of mobile phone over laptop to access this LMS was reported. Use of this free to use LMS can be made, and especially in resource limited low and middle income countries, to encourage greater access to e‐learning. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):404–407, 2019.
A Rational Design of Cu2O−SnO2 Core‐Shell Catalyst for Highly Selective CO2‐to‐CO Conversion
Authors: Zhang Sheng‐Nian , Li Meng , Hua Bin , Duan Nanqi , Ding Shaochen , Bergens Steven , Shankar Karthik , Luo Jing‐Li 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) is a versatile method that is capable of simultaneously reduce CO2 emission and produce valuable fuels and chemicals. However, its application is hindered by the lack of cost‐effective catalysts and significant overpotential requirement. In this work, we report a low‐cost and surfactant/capping agent free method to synthesize cubic Cu2O−SnO2 core‐shell electrocatalyst, whose thickness can be easily controlled by the content of tin precursor. The optimized Cu2O−SnO2 catalyst with a 5 nm‐thick shell achieved over 90 % faradaic efficiency towards CO at a low overpotential of 390 mV, which is comparable to some of the noble metal catalysts. The catalyst also exhibited good stability over 18 hours of test at −0.6 V vs. RHE in 0.5 M KHCO3 electrolyte. This work provides a widely applicable strategy for developing a low‐cost electrocatalyst for CO2 conversion.
A comprehensive survey of security threats and their mitigation techniques for next‐generation SDN controllers
Authors: Han Tao , Jan Syed Rooh Ullah , Tan Zhiyuan , Usman Muhammad , Jan Mian Ahmad , Khan Rahim , Xu Yongzhao 
Published: April 2019

SummarySoftware Defined Network (SDN) and Network Virtualization (NV) are emerged paradigms that simplified the control and management of the next generation networks, most importantly, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, and Cyber‐Physical Systems. The Internet of Things (IoT) includes a diverse range of a vast collection of heterogeneous devices that require interoperable communication, scalable platforms, and security provisioning. Security provisioning to an SDN‐based IoT network poses a real security challenge leading to various serious security threats due to the connection of various heterogeneous devices having a wide range of access protocols. Furthermore, the logical centralized controlled intelligence of the SDN architecture represents a plethora of security challenges due to its single point of failure. It may throw the entire network into chaos and thus expose it to various known and unknown security threats and attacks. Security of SDN controlled IoT environment is still in infancy and thus remains the prime research agenda for both the industry and academia. This paper comprehensively reviews the current state‐of‐the‐art security threats, vulnerabilities, and issues at the control plane. Moreover, this paper contributes by presenting a detailed classification of various security attacks on the control layer. A comprehensive state‐of‐the‐art review of the latest mitigation techniques for various security breaches is also presented. Finally, this paper presents future research directions and challenges for further investigation down the line.