by Dorit Shoval  , Nama Tal  and Orna Tzischinsky

Received: 21 July 2020;  Published: 08 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2101088

The present study was aimed to examine the relationship of sleep–smartphone hygiene, i.e., the habits of smartphone usage in the sleep environment, with the sleep quality among students and whether this relationship could be explained through psychological factors. A total of 467 Israeli college students were investigated using five questionnaires, namely, Sleep–Smartphone Hygiene Questionnaire (SSHQ), Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs), Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a [...]

by Andrew G.L. Douglas  and Diana Baralle

Received: 31 December 2020;  Published: 08 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2101125

A large proportion of rare disease patients remain undiagnosed and the vast majority of such conditions remain untreatable whether diagnosed or not. RNA splicing analysis is able to increase the diagnostic rate in rare disease by identifying cryptic splicing mutations and can help in interpreting the pathogenicity of genomic variants. Whilst targeted RT-PCR analysis remains a highly sensitive tool for assessing the splicing effects of known variants, RNA-seq can provide a more comprehensive transcriptome-wide analy [...]

by Supriya Rattan  , Derek Fawcett  , M. Tennant  , Joanna Granich  and Gerrard Eddy Jai Poinern

Received: 02 November 2020;  Published: 05 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2101007

To date, many studies have examined the development and use of novel materials, enhancing the performance of existing dental composites and improving methods for restoring tooth structure. In recent years, nanotechnology-based techniques have been used to develop a variety of nanomaterial-based dental products aimed at conservative dentistry applications. These new nanomaterial-based materials offer improved physicochemical and mechanical properties, combined with enhanced aesthetics that makes them superior restor [...]

by Aly Mousaad Aly  and Milad Rezae

Received: 26 December 2020;  Published: 04 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2101011

During their lifecycle, wind turbines can be subjected to multiple hazard loads, such as high-intensity wind, earthquake, wave, and mechanical unbalance. Excessive vibrations, due to these loads, can have detrimental effects on energy production, structural lifecycle, and the initial cost of wind turbines. Vibration control by various means, such as passive, active, and semi-active control systems provide crucial solutions to these issues. We developed a novel control theory that enables semi-active controller tuni [...]

by Paola Stabile  , Francesco Radica  , Luigi Ranza  , Michael R. Carroll  , Carlo Santulli  and Eleonora Paris

Received: 12 December 2020;  Published: 02 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2101006

In this work, two types of wastes were introduced, namely, glass from municipal waste and Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW). The latter, which was obtained from rubble generated by the seismic events occurred in Central Italy in 2016, was introduced in two configurations, the single-layer and the double-layer of the cement-based Terrazzo tiles. A maximum of 77% of waste introduction was proven to be possible, therefore creating the possibility of obtaining construction products including high quantities of se [...]

by Meira Erel  , Esther-Lee Marcus  and Freda DeKeyser-Ganz

Received: 11 November 2020;  Published: 01 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2101159

Decision-making by medical and health care staff forms the core of professional practice. Thought processes, including non-clinical considerations, significantly impact how clinical decisions are made. Such considerations become more relevant when addressing end-of-life care decisions for patients with advanced dementia (PAD). Though palliative care is recommended for this population, its implementation tends to vary. Given the medical staff’s significant influence in guiding clinical decisions, we examined thought [...]

by Amir Taheri  , Ole Torsæter  , Erik Lindeberg  , Nanji J. Hadia  and Dag Wessel-Berg

Received: 19 October 2020;  Published: 25 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/acr.2101012

Convective mixing of free-phase CO2 and brine in saline aquifers is an established technique to accelerate the CO2 dissolution process. Correct estimation of the convection onset time and rate of CO2 dissolution into brine are two crucial parameters regarding safety issues, as the timescale for dissolution corresponds to the same time over which the free-phase CO2 has a chance to leak out from the storage site. In real practice, underground formations are heterogeneous with a layered structure, but the convective m [...]

by Gérald Lopez

Received: 25 November 2020;  Published: 25 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2101005

Polymers such as polyimides and fluoropolymers are widely used for insulating aeronautic wires. They are exposed to various changing factors such as temperature, pressure, moisture, vibration, chafing, etc. The electrification on the horizon can potentially increase the demand for these systems. Indeed, this impending evolution of technology pushes the boundaries of commonly-employed wires. Downsizing systems and enhancing the performance is an urgent requirement. A new generation of insulating materials capable of [...]

by Hironori Takagi  , Koichi Kakimoto  , Daishuke Mori  , Sou Taminato  , Yashuo Takeda  , osamu yamamoto  and Nobuyuki Imanishi

Received: 12 January 2021;  Published: 24 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2101010

The demand for high energy density rechargeable batteries beyond lithium-ion batteries has increased for electric vehicles. In the present study, a novel high energy density rechargeable aqueous lithium battery was proposed. The battery was composed of a lithium metal anode, a lithium-stable non-aqueous electrolyte, a water-stable lithium-ion conducting solid electrolyte of Li1.4Al0.4Ge0.2Ti1.4(PO4)3-epoxy-TiO2 separator, and a hydroquinone sulfonic acid (HQS)/benzoquinone sulfonic acid (BQS) redox couple in an aqu [...]

by Aarthi Madhavan  , Isaac Sia  , Giselle Carnaby  and Michael Crary

Received: 29 October 2020;  Published: 22 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2101158

Individuals with acute stroke on nonoral feeding regimens frequently develop pneumonia, questioning the long-held belief that pneumonia in stroke patients is a caused by food and liquid aspiration alone. Refluxate and colonized oral secretions are thought to contribute to an acidic oropharyngeal environment. If aspirated, these colonized oral secretions with increased acidity, can result in increased risk to the respiratory system. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pharyngeal acidity, dysphag [...]