by Lin Xie  and Donald Kirk

Received: 09 June 2021;  Published: 16 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2103003

Fe-rich alloys have been widely studied as catalyst materials for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in hydrogen fuel cells, and many have shown high activities. The stability of Fe-rich catalysts has also been researched, and some studies have shown promising results using an accelerated stress test (AST), which uses a potential cycling method. However, for commercial fuel cell applications, such as standby power systems, the catalyst has to tolerate a high potential for a long period, which can not be r [...]

by Siamak Shirani Bidabadi  , Parisa Sharifi  and S. Mohan Jain

Received: 09 June 2021;  Published: 15 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2103137

Plant breeding programs have used conventional breeding methods, such as hybridization, induced mutations, and other methods to manipulate the plant genome within the species' natural genetic boundaries to improve crop varieties. However, repeatedly using conventional breeding methods might lead to the erosion of the gene reservoir, thereby rendering crops vulnerable to environmental stresses and hampering future progress in crop production, food and nutritional security, and socio-economic benefits. Integrating in [...]

by Meir Djaldetti

Received: 26 July 2021;  Published: 15 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2103061

Spices have been used for many decades, and although new and improved culinary spices have been developed, black pepper (Piper nigrum) continues to retain its distinguished title as the “King of spices” due to its particular pungent taste. An alkaloid called piperine is the main component in black pepper that, besides generating the well-known taste, imparts well-documented immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and even anti-cancer properties; these properties have led to rigorous researc [...]

by Selvaraju Sivamani  , Rajoo Baskar  and Balasubramanian Lakshmi

Received: 29 April 2021;  Published: 14 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2103037

One of the crucial steps in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass is pretreatment. We investigated the applicability of a hybrid pretreatment method, This involved acid treatment followed by alkali before the production of fermentable sugars from cassava stem. The substrate was initially treated with acid (1% oxalic acid at 100 °C for 2 h), followed by treatment with a 10% NaOH–urea mixture (by mixing 5 g each of NaOH and urea in 100 mL of water) at 100 °C for 1 h. A cellulose recovery of 98.55% was obtained with the [...]

by Minato Nakamura  and Yoshinori Murakami

Received: 17 August 2021;  Published: 13 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2103002

The photocatalytic reaction involved in TiO2 photocatalysis was investigated using a microreactor coated with TiO2 film on the glass plate attached on one side of the microreactor. It was confirmed that the effect of H2O2 on the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of azo dyes (acid orange 7, acid red 151, and acid yellow 23) was dependent on the polymorphs (anatase and rutile) of TiO2 coated on the glass plate of the UV-irradiated microreactor. Scavengers of holes (KI) and electrons (p-benzoquinone) were added to [...]

by Karin Matko  , Holger C. Bringmann  and Peter Sedlmeier

Received: 08 March 2021;  Published: 13 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2103030

Traditional yoga encompasses a variety of practices, such as postures, breathing techniques, meditation, and ethical teachings. However, little is known about how different components of yoga contribute to its overall effect. In this meta-synthesis, we comprehensively summarized the current evidence on differential and incremental effects of various yoga components collected from available meta-analyses. For this meta-analysis, we searched Medline/PubMed, Scopus, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane Library in July 2021. We [...]

by Ioannis Syros  , Aggeliki Karantzali  and Xenia Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous

Received: 16 December 2020;  Published: 13 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2103106

The effects of pathological anxiety on public health have led to the realization that anxious children might experience significant limitations in their lives. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral (CB) interventions are now being implemented in schools at a group level to combat anxiety.Childhood emotional health should be considered a national and global priority for an effective strategy promoting the prevention of mental health. The aim of this study is the description of novel data on the effectiveness of preven [...]

by Morgan A. Valley  and Lorann Stallones

Received: 30 June 2021;  Published: 12 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2103029

Hospice care workers are exposed to the hazards associated with in-home care in uncontrollable environments as well as occupational stress related to caring for terminally ill patients and their families. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an abbreviated mindfulness intervention to improve hospice care worker occupational safety performance and well-being. This study used a single-group pre-post design to pilot test an 18-hour mindfulness training as an intervention on self-reported safety performance [...]

by Efstathios E. Michaelides

Received: 19 April 2021;  Published: 10 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2103040

The impending adverse effects of Global Climate Change encourages the substitution of fossil fuels with non-carbon sources for electricity generation. However, while fossil fuel power plants may generate electric power at demand, the most abundant renewable energy sources-wind and solar-are intermittent or periodically variable. This necessitates the development of adequate energy storage at the utility/grid level. Using actual data for the hourly energy demand in the ERCOT electricity grid, this study examines the [...]

by Charlotte V. Farewell  , Jessica Walls  , Jamie N. Powers  , Joanne Whalen  , Meredith Shefferman  and Jenn A. Leiferman

Received: 30 June 2021;  Published: 09 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2103028

Mind-body interventions have shown promise for improving prenatal mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a prenatal mind-body intervention delivered remotely due to COVID-19 and preliminary efficacy with respect to mental health outcomes. This study used a simultaneous mixed methods approach (n = 27). Mixed methods data were collected to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the remotely delivered program (I.e., acceptability, practicality, demand, sustainabili [...]