by Daniel Z. Lieberman  , Sara Teichholtz  and Brenna R. Emery

Received: 25 February 2019;  Published: 28 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902030

Is it ethically permissible to sacrifice the life of one human being in order to save the lives of five others? This question forms the basis of the famous thought experiment called “the trolley problem.” Surveys have found that 90 percent of people agree it is permissible when the victim to be sacrificed is described as off in the distance, whereas the opposite result occurs if the victim is described as up close. No consistent ethical principle has been identified that account for these results. In this paper we [...]

by Chrisann Fahy  and Lisa Hollis-Sawyer

Received: 19 January 2018;  Published: 10 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1804014

Background: The growing aging population requires care support resources which engage older adults in many different aspects of human functioning and experiences [1]. The purpose of this applied research project was to develop, and pilot test a holistic enrichment program manual used with Institutionalized Residential Care Facilities (IRCF) that encompasses motor skill, social, cognitive and self- enrichment outcomes, and to pilot test the enrichment program manual to be both cost-effective and a time savings to IR [...]

by Sharon Freeman Clevenger

Received: 25 November 2018;  Published: 31 January 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901007

The cornerstone of health care practice is the provision of competent, compassionate care. Compassion is generally considered an important component in the provision of health care; however, self-compassion may be of equal importance for health care practitioners (HCP) to observe and develop. Self-compassion promotes well-being and overall mental health and may reduce fatigue and “burn-out” for HCPs [1]. Estimates of burn out in physicians and nurses range from 35-50% and is associated with emotional exhaustion, hi [...]

by Mark Jaradeh  , Mark deBettencourt  , Edgar Yap  , Yesha Patel  , April Alcantara  , Conrad Stasieluk  and Edwin S. Meresh

Received: 02 March 2022;  Published: 23 May 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2202123

Catatonia, particularly malignant catatonia (MC), continues to manifest in severe sequalae such as hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, cardiovascular collapse and failure, and even death as, although identification of the syndrome has significantly improved once its developed, several precarious factors continue to inhibit prompt and efficacious treatment. In this context, we evaluated the cases of six patients who were treated at our center for eventual MC manifestation with the aim of elucidating a pre-MC sensitive pre [...]

by Michelle Szucs  , Miguel Angulo  , Carlos Costa  and Mª Carmen Márquez

Received: 12 May 2021;  Published: 08 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104045

Five different commercial proteases (Alcalase 2.4L, Flavourzyme 1000L, Neutrase, Protamex, and PTN) were evaluated for the simultaneous recovery of protein and lipids through hydrolysis. The hydrolysis reaction was monitored using the pH-stat procedure, in which samples were collected after 240 min of hydrolysis using each enzyme. The samples were analyzed for the degree of hydrolysis, protein hydrolysate, collagen, lipids, and fatty acids. A clear relationship was observed between the degree of hydrolysis and the [...]

by Pei-Chen Lo  , Bo-Ting Lyu  and Wu Jue Miao Tian

Received: 30 July 2018;  Published: 01 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902021

Background: This research aims to develop new methods to investigate the cardiorespiratory interaction of Zen-meditation practitioners (Zen-meditation group) and healthy ordinary young people (control group) by quantitatively evaluating respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) behavior. Methods: Twenty-five voluntary controls and seven Zen-meditation practitioners were recruited. The experimental protocol involved five sessions of different mental-stress levels (control group) and five sessions of Zen-meditation practice [...]

by Irina Bakloushinskaya  and Sergey Matveevsky

Received: 16 May 2018;  Published: 22 July 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803023

Species of mole voles Ellobius demonstrate a broad variation in sex chromosomes and autosomes, which is unique among mammals. In four species, a Y chromosome was lost, and X0 or XX sex chromosomes in both sexes were obtained. The key testis-determining Sry (Sex-determining Region on Y) gene is absent in these species, and the regulation of its target, the Sox9 (SRY -box 9) gene, is questionable due to deletion in the key enhancer. In a single species, E. fuscocapillus, with routine XX-XY, the same deletion is prese [...]

by Jacques Pédron  and Frédérique Van Gijsegem

Received: 25 July 2019;  Published: 26 November 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1904098

Background: Genus Dickeya comprises aggressive soft rot plant pathogens with wide geographic distribution and host ranges. Ten Dickeya species were characterized. Seven of them (Dickeya chrysanthemi, D. dadantii, D. dianthicola, D. fangzhongdai, D. solani, D. paradisiaca, and D. zeae) group causative agents of maceration-associated diseases that impact a wide variety of crops or ornamentals as well as isolates from fresh water. The other three species (D. aquatica, D. lacustris, D. undicola) were recently isolated [...]

by Giuseppe De Benedittis

Received: 18 February 2020;  Published: 24 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002023

There is increasing evidence demonstrating that hypnosis could be effective in the down-modulation of pain sensation in both acute and chronic pain states. In the neurophysiological context, recent evidence has deciphered, to a certain extent, the mystery of pain relief upon hypnosis. It is probable that hypnotic suggestions of analgesia are able to modulate pain processing at multiple levels and sites within the central nervous system (CNS). At the peripheral level, hypnosis may modulate the nociceptive input thro [...]

by Ladislaus Alexander Bányai  and Mircea Bundaru

Received: 21 October 2022;  Published: 08 December 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2204027

We describe here the coherent formulation of electromagnetism in the non-relativistic quantum-mechanical many-body theory of interacting charged particles. We use the mathematical frame of the field theory and its quantization in the spirit of the quantum electrodynamics (QED). This is necessary because a manifold of misinterpretations emerged especially regarding the magnetic field and gauge invariance. The situation was determined by the historical development of quantum mechanics, starting from the Schrödinger e [...]