by Sergey Yu. Udovichenko  , Alexander D. Pisarev  , Alexander N. Busygin  , Abdulla H. Ebrahim  , Andrey N. Bobylev  and Alexey A. Gubin

Received: 14 June 2022;  Published: 22 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203134

In the present study, we present the results of the modeling of incoming information processing in a neuroprocessor that implements a biomorphic spiking neural network with numerous neurons and trainable synaptic connections between them. Physico-mathematical models of processes of encoding information into biomorphic pulses and their decoding following a neural block into a binary code were developed as well as models of the process of routing the output pulses of neurons by the logic matrix to the synapses of oth [...]

by Kuldeep Saini  , Vinay Mohan Pathak  , Arpit Tyagi  and Rani Gupta

Received: 11 June 2022;  Published: 22 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2203029

Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) is a multifunctional enzyme that hydrolyzes the α-glycosidic bond between two sugar molecules and synthesizes cyclodextrins (CDs) and other transglycosylation products. It is a ubiquitously present extracellular enzyme that offers the CGTase-producing organism the sole right onto starch substrates over other microbes. The present review provides a brief account of diversity among CGTase-producing microbes, CGTase production in different heterologous hosts (wherein ext [...]

by Kelly Swing  , Jaime Chaves  , Stella de la Torre  , Luis Sempértegui  , Alex Hearn  , Andrea Encalada  , Esteban Suárez  and Gonzalo Rivas

Received: 30 March 2022;  Published: 22 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2203035

The rights of nature have been widely discussed at a philosophical level for a long time, but examples of its practical application are quite rare. Ecuador is the first country to incorporate this concept into its constitutional foundation and put the theory into practice. However, implementing entirely justifiable rights of nature is hindered by factors, such as economic considerations, legal interpretations, cultural norms, political will, and disproportionate perspectives of “the greater good”. After getting opp [...]

by Divya Taneja  , Madhumita Sadhukhan  , Padmalaya Rath  , Manas R Sarangi  , Renu Mittal  , Akshaya Kumar Prusty  , Deepthi Gilla  , Ashish Shivadikar  , Birendra Rawat  , Ravi Kumar Sadarla  , Gurudev Choubey  , Nidhi Mahajan  , Renu Bala  , Neha Kalra  , Anupam Mukherjee  , Anil Khurana  and Raj K. Manchanda

Received: 12 August 2022;  Published: 21 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2203044

Patients with psoriasis commonly opt for homeopathic treatment. However, no study has assessed the response to homeopathic treatment by using standardized disease-specific scales, and the findings are based on clinical assessments only. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response to the individualized homeopathic treatment of psoriasis with respect to changes in disease severity and quality of life based on Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) scales, respective [...]

by Le Thanh Mai Pham  , Kai Deng  , Trent R. Northen  , Steven W. Singer  , Paul D. Adams  , Blake A. Simmons  and Kenneth L. Sale

Received: 26 July 2022;  Published: 20 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2203028

Lignin is the most abundant renewable source of aromatics on earth, and conversion of it to chemicals and fuels is needed to build an economically viable renewable biofuels industry. Biological routes to converting lignin to fuels and chemicals involve depolymerizing lignin using lignin-degrading enzymes that catalyze the breaking of ether and carbon-carbon bonds in the phenolic and non-phenolic subunits of lignin. Laccases are a crucial class of lignin-degrading enzymes and are copper-containing enzymes capable of [...]

by Andre Cardim de Aguiar  and Soraya Giovanetti El-Deir

Received: 09 May 2022;  Published: 20 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2203034

The presence of shopping malls causes a social, economic, and environmental impact. The bibliometric analysis is a valuable method used to dentify published research papers, and understand historic information published in scientific journals. This method can be used to carry out qualitative and quantitative analyses of scientific production on a specific subject. This analytical method primarily focuses on analyzing the bibliometric study of the solid waste management method used in shopping malls. A small number [...]

by OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine Editorial Office

Received: 18 September 2022;  Published: 20 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2203043

Interview with Dr. Sok Cheon Pak. Dr Pak as a physiologist currently leads and guides research into nutraceuticals to provide relevant and impactful clinical applications. The best example is the rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC). RBAC is a functional food produced from hydrolysed rice bran denatured with shiitake mushroom enzymes. RBAC demonstrates strong immunomodulatory properties, particularly for enhancing the natural killer cell activity. Additionally, RBAC is a potent antiproliferative food supplement w [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 18 September 2022;  Published: 19 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2203042

This editorial briefly discusses the issue of potential toxicity in the case of long-term photobiomodulation (PBM). Scientific articles from PubMed, Google Scholar, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure were included in a heterogeneous search. There have been very few studies on the long-term effects of PBM, as well as its potential toxicity. There is no evidence that PBM is toxic when used at therapeutic or imaging doses. There are no such concerns with intracranial PBM application (e.g., optical fiber) [...]

by Mikhail Kipnis  , Elvira Volnina  , Igor Belostotsky  , Roman Galkin  , Natalya Zhilyaeva  , Ivan Levin  , Sergey Kottsov  and Alexander Ezhov

Received: 09 September 2021;  Published: 19 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2203027

A precursor CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst for methanol synthesis has been prepared at room temperature by introducing a ternary salt solution into the excess of sodium carbonate solution following the reverse co-precipitation method. The catalyst was tested for the synthesis of methanol from synthesis gas. The composition (vol. %) has been presented: CO, 22; CO2, 5.8; N2, 5.5; H2, balance. The methanol productivity was recorded to be 2.7 kg kgcat–1 h–1 at a temperature of 260 °С, a pressure of 3 MPa, and a [...]

by Pierre Bernstein  , Yiteng Xing  and Jacques Noudem

Received: 07 July 2022;  Published: 15 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2203018

Stable levitation of systems consisting of a magnetic source and a superconductor is actively investigated due to the promising applications of this technology. While huge efforts have been made for modeling these setups with numerical simulations, analytical models, in spite of their use being limited to devices with a high degree of symmetry, can bring precious information on certain characteristics of levitating systems. Summarizing our previous work in the field, we present the mean-field model that we have pro [...]

by Damiana Scuteri  , Paolo Tonin  , Maria Tiziana Corasaniti  and Giacinto Bagetta

Received: 05 July 2022;  Published: 14 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203133

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for 50–70% of cases of dementia worldwide and is a social burden to the affected population. Although several pathogenetic hypotheses have been proposed, evidence favoring the role of aberrant neuroplasticity in the development of the neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia is increasing. Specifically, agitation is resistant to treatment and affects the quality of life, also because of the lack of safe and effective treatment for AD. Alterations in pain processing due to [...]

by John R. Holmberg

Received: 31 May 2022;  Published: 14 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2203041

The perinatal period represents a unique developmental window for families and an opportunity to reach and engage fathers in research and preventive interventions. The distinctiveness of this period stems from the changes and stressors that parents experience which affect their openness to enroll in interventions (e.g., adaptive parenting, physical and mental health, relationship skills, and economic self-sufficiency) and participate in research. While long understudied, paternal research in the perinatal period ha [...]

by Gabriel Santos Viana  , Jorge Álef Estevam Lau Bomfim  , Gabriel Pereira da Silva  , José Faustino Souza de Carvalho Filho  , Miriam Sanae Tokumoto  , Fernando Cesário Rangel  and Rosenira Serpa da Cruz

Received: 30 June 2022;  Published: 13 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2203026

Technological development made in the field of biomass application allows synthesizing several high-value products, such as furfuraldehyde. Furfural, produced through sequential hydrolysis and dehydration reactions from biomass, is considered a platform molecule and a precursor of several other chemicals and biofuels that are generated following reactions such as hydrogenation, hydrodeoxygenation, and decarboxylation. This review aims to reveal the environmental-friendly mechanisms followed for producing furfural d [...]

by Roy G Beran

Received: 01 July 2022;  Published: 13 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2203204

This paper examines sleep disorders in older people, focusing on Parkinson’s disease (PD). It defines PD and explores those conditions associated with sleep disorders and their relationship to PD. It identifies specific conditions which cause sleep disoders in patients with PD, namely: REM sleep behaviour disorder (RDB) which may be a precursor to PD; obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) which is very prevalent amongst people with PD; depression and mood disorders which both increase with age and are more common in peopl [...]

by Eduardo Garrido  , Javier Botella de Maglia  , Oriol Sibila  and Gustavo Zubieta-Calleja

Received: 18 July 2022;  Published: 09 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2203163

High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and COVID-19 pneumonia are different diseases, but HAPE-susceptible individuals (whose susceptibility often has a genetic basis) can also suffer from severe COVID-19. We hypothesized that certain pathogenic mechanisms might overlap if such a coincidence occurs, since these patients could react to alveolar hypoxia with a more intense and heterogeneously distributed pulmonary vasoconstriction than non-HAPE-susceptible patients. It is also not known how future altitude acclimatizat [...]

by Liang Jiang  , Lulu Xie  , Jiao He  , Juanxue Kang  , Wei Wang  and Jiaqiang Wang

Received: 16 July 2022;  Published: 09 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2203025

TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared using cellulase as a biotemplate through a hydrothermal process. The as-prepared catalyst was characterized based on physicochemical techniques and was used to remove As(III) from contaminated water. The cellulase templated TiO2 photocatalyst (TiO2-cellulase) had a large specific surface area, which reached 166.6 m2·g–1. It also had a strong oxidation ability and, thus, behaved well in both photocatalytic oxidation of As(III) and dark adsorption. The pH of the solution h [...]

by Aminata Bicego  , Pauline Delmal  , Didier Ledoux  , Marie-Elisabeth Faymonville  , Benoît Maertens de Noordhout  , Alfredo Cerasoli  , Héléna Cassol  , Olivia Gosseries  and Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse

Received: 29 June 2022;  Published: 09 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2203040

Phantom limb pain occurs in more than half of the people who have undergone an amputation. Hypnosis can alleviate pain effectively in experimental, procedural, and chronic pain. Thus, in this multiple-case study, we determined whether hypnosis might be a successful complementary approach to help patients with phantom limb pain in alleviating their pain quality (i.e., sensitive and affective), intensity, fatigue, and emotional distress (i.e., anxiety and depression). Seven patients experiencing phantom limb pain wer [...]

by Kimberly Bader  , James J. Lah  , Allan I. Levey  , Greg J. Esper  , Whitney Wharton  and Joe R. Nocera

Received: 27 December 2021;  Published: 08 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2203203

Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) have increased gait disturbances throughout disease progression. However, an understanding of gait impairment and progression in early versus late AD is lacking. Further, the longitudinal progression of gait impairment in AD as well as in those with MCI that transition to AD is lacking. Understanding gait pathology and progression of gait impairment is critical for implementation of strategies that could limit the high prevalence of gait [...]

by Mayra De Grazia  , Cassandra Trottier  , Sergio R.A. Dantas  , Yathiraj Nagaraju  , Rouzbeh Ziapour  , Hian F. Macedo  and Leandro F.M. Sanchez

Received: 11 July 2022;  Published: 07 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2203017

The ever-growing urgency to combat climate change has led the civil construction industry to develop and adopt sustainable construction materials and methods. The so-called recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) emerges as an alternative to decrease the carbon footprint of new concrete construction, the disposal of waste concrete, and the use of non-renewable natural resources such as cement and aggregates. RCA can be produced from crushing waste concrete; yet challenges remain when using RCA in concrete especially its [...]

by Simone Lindsey  , Syd Hiskey  , Chris Irons  and Leanne Andrews

Received: 06 July 2021;  Published: 07 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2203039

Research has shown that compassion – whether to others, from others or to oneself – can be associated with improved well-being and mental health. Most measures to date focus on one of these flows of compassion, with only one recently published scale tracking all three. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of The Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales (CEAS) in a UK sample. The secondary aims were to investigate the level of compassion, as measured by th [...]

by Nicholas J. Geraghty  , Amal Elhage  , Peter Cuthbertson  , Debbie Watson  and Ronald Sluyter

Received: 06 June 2022;  Published: 06 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2203166

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a curative therapy for hematological malignancies, but its efficacy is limited by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This life-threatening disorder develops when donor (graft) immune cells cause inflammatory damage to recipient (host) tissues. The immune cell receptor channel P2X7 and its ligand adenosine 5’-triphosphate (ATP) have been implicated in GVHD pathogenesis. Therefore, this signaling axis represents a potential therapeutic target. This study aime [...]

by Natalia V. Kovaleva  and Philip D. Cotter

Received: 02 May 2022;  Published: 05 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2203162

Mosaicism for trisomy of chromosome 14 (T14) is a very rare chromosomal disease in liveborn patients. Since the 1970s, when the first patients with mosaicism for T14 were reported, a number of studies on the clinical manifestations of this abnormality have been published. No information on epidemiological parameters was known except for the rarity of the disease and its predominance among female carriers. This was the first systematic review of published cases of mosaic T14 that addressed some epidemiological aspec [...]

by Pluvinage Guy  and Capelle Julien

Received: 03 March 2022;  Published: 01 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2203029

Hydrogen is a dangerous gas due to its low ignition energy, wide flammability range, promotion of the embrittlement of steel, and its high coefficient of permeation for polymers. The fracture toughness and failure elongation of pipe steels are strongly impacted by hydrogen embrittlement, whereas yield stress and ultimate strength are moderately impacted. Specific tools are required for the pipe defect assessment used for the transport of hydrogen, which is pure or blended with natural gas. The safety factors associ [...]

by Kurumi Taniguchi  , Haruka Sawamura  , Yuka Ikeda  , Ai Tsuji  and Satoru Matsuda

Received: 02 May 2022;  Published: 30 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2203165

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a standard form of cellular therapy for patients suffering from malignant hematological diseases. However, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a very serious complication and a major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic HSCT. Calcineurin inhibitors, such as cyclosporine, are widely used to enhance the survival of patients who have undergone HSCT. Unfortunately, both GVHD and cyclosporine occasionally cause nephropathy. Several studies have shown that th [...]

by Alla V. BALUEVA  , Ilia N. Dashevskiy  and Christian Sims

Received: 18 April 2022;  Published: 30 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2203028

Due to the increasing need to further develop the world gas and oil industry and the increased public attention to clean energy sources, studying and preventing Hydrogen Induced Cracking is one of the main safety concerns in nuclear power plants, oil pipelines and platforms. In this article, the growth and incubation times for internal Hydrogen Induced Cracks (HIC) are examined. Specifically, these times are modeled in two separate phases - the first phase (I) is a long time approximation, when the crack growth is [...]