by David Bayo  , Olufunso Adeniyi  , Adebayo Adeniyi  and Oluwole Ariwoola

Received: 27 February 2021;  Published: 12 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/acr.2102013

The present study investigated the level of heavy metals in selected fruits sold commonly in Jos, Nigeria. The fresh fruits (Avocado pear, Black currant, Egg Plant, Golden melon, and Soursop) were purchased from five major markets (Terminus, Farin Gada, Building materials, Bukuru, and Fobur) in Jos. Each fruit sample was collected in triplicate and analyzed using standard procedures. The concentration of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, As, Cd, Zn, Pb, Mn, and Cr) was determined using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectr [...]

by Pei-Yu Wu  , Kristina Mjörnell  , Claes Sandels  and Mikael Mangold

Received: 22 January 2021;  Published: 11 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2102017

Assessment of the presence of hazardous materials in buildings is essential for improving material recyclability, increasing working safety, and lowering the risk of unforeseen cost and delay in demolition. In light of these aspects, machine learning has been viewed as a promising approach to complement environmental investigations and quantify the risk of finding hazardous materials in buildings. In view of the increasing number of related studies, this article aims to review the research status of hazardous mater [...]

by George Z. Voyiadjis  and Peter I. Kattan

Received: 27 October 2020;  Published: 10 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2102021

A robust mathematical method for the characterization of damage in carbon nanotubes is presented the presentation here is limited to elasticity. In this regard, the second and third order elastic stiffnesses are employed. All this is based on damage mechanics. The hypotheses of elastic strain equivalence and elastic energy equivalence are utilized. A new damage variable is proposed that is defined in terms of the surface area. This is in contrast to the classical damage variable which is defined in terms of the cro [...]

by Antonio Vázquez-López  , Marina García-Carrión  , Erlend Hall  , Anisa Yaseen  , Ilknur Kalafat  , María Taeño  , Junjie Zhu  , Xinyu Zhang  , Elif Arici  , Omer Suat Taskin  , David Maestre  , Emilio Nogales  , Pedro Hidalgo  , Julio Ramírez-Castellanos  , Bianchi Méndez  , Neslihan Yuca  , Smagul Karazhanov  , Erik S. Marstein  and Ana Cremades

Received: 09 November 2020;  Published: 08 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2102020

Hybrid composites based on inorganic nanomaterials embedded into a polymer matrix have were synthesized and characterized. Oxide semiconductor nanoparticles (SnO, SnO2, TiO2, Ga2O3, and NiO) and Si nanoparticles were employed as inorganic counterparts in the hybrid composite, while a conductive polymer (PEDOT:PSS) with diverse additives was used as the organic matrix. The composites were spin-coated on Si or glass substrates. The potential use of these materials in photovoltaic devices to improve Si surface passiva [...]

by Nobuyuki Imanishi  , Tao Zhang  , Daishuke Mori  , Sou Taminato  , Yashuo Takeda  and osamu yamamoto

Received: 21 February 2021;  Published: 08 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2102019

Because lithium metal exhibits high specific capacity and low potential, it is the best candidate for fabricating anodes for batteries. Rechargeable batteries fabricated using lithium anode exhibit high capacity and high potential cathode; these can be potentially used to fabricate high energy density batteries (>500 Wh kg-1) that can be used for the development of next-generation electric vehicles. However, the formation and growth of lithium dendrites and the low coulombic efficiency recorded during lithiu [...]

by Aurélie Laborel-Préneron  , Paulina Faria  , Jean-Emmanuel Aubert  and Camille Magniont

Received: 12 March 2021;  Published: 07 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2102016

Bio-based earth composites present various environmental benefits, such as usable wastes, coproducts, abundant or renewable materials, etc. Moreover, the incorporation of bioaggregates in the earth matrix allows the buildings to act as an effective carbon sink. A growing number of studies are now focusing on the mechanical and hygrothermal properties of bio-based earth building materials. However, the durability of these types of material is a major concern, and knowledge of their various aspects is essential to an [...]

by Pratima Pandey  , Narges Sadat Shamabadi  , Ewen McLean  and Omar Bagasra

Received: 28 August 2020;  Published: 07 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102009

Normally we encounter a myriad of chemicals in our daily lives. Endocrine disrupting chemicals [EDCs] are ubiquitous in our environment and upon bodily entry many be stored in adipose tissue and, in pregnant woman, can reach the developing fetal brain, disrupting normal fetal brain development. EDC-induced aberrant levels of sex hormones can alter sexual dimorphism [i.e. degree of feminization or masculinization; sex differences in brain and behavior] and may contribute to the differential susceptibility of males a [...]

by Jessica R Turnbull  , Jenna Vyas-Lee  and Sally Hobson

Received: 17 November 2020;  Published: 06 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102094

Sleep-related difficulties are common in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Poor sleep health is associated with detrimental impacts not only for the child/young person, but also their family members. Exercise is considered to be important for sleep health, improving duration and quality of sleep in adult studies, however there is limited literature on impact in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, and barriers to participation exist for this group. We set out to test the feasibility and accep [...]

by Cosimo Magazzino  and Marco Mele

Received: 19 February 2021;  Published: 06 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102008

In this study, we used an image neural network model to assess the relationship between economic growth, pollution (PM2.5, PM10, and CO2), and deaths from COVID-19 in the Hubei area (China). Data analysis, neural network analysis, and deep learning experiments were carried out to assess the relationship among COVID-19 deaths, air pollution, and economic growth in China (Hubei province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic). We collected daily data at a city level from January 20 to July 31, 2020. We used main cit [...]

by Aleksandra Oledzka  and Lynne Ann Barker

Received: 05 March 2019;  Published: 06 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102093

Brain training apps are becoming increasingly popular for at home use and as an adjunct to more traditional therapies. There is uncertainty about whether the effects of brain training transfer to real-world cognition, or performance on other cognitive assessment tests, or is specific only to the brain training app. Executive functions (EF’s) are higher-order cognitive processes important for activities of everyday living and autonomous goal-directed behaviour [1]. EF’s are associated with frontal brain networks tha [...]

by Christiana Polyzou  , Glykeria Loupa  and Spyridon Rapsomanikis

Received: 25 January 2021;  Published: 04 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102007

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) was monitored in the atmosphere of a coastal site situated in the Northern Aegean Sea of Greece from August 2014 to January 2015. The selected sampling site is seldom impacted by human activities. Thus, it was possible to study the processes involved in natural terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments. The diurnal and monthly variations in the concentration of GEM as well as the factors influencing these variations were determined. The GEM concentrations were found to be in [...]

by Amy Spallone  and Marion Hemmersbach-Miller

Received: 29 January 2021;  Published: 02 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2102141

Donor-derived infections (DDI) are an infrequent event in solid organ transplant (SOT) due to advances in screening recommendations, prophylaxis, and surveillance of common infections. However, unexpected pathogen transmission can still occur when a donor is not known to be infected prior to organ procurement, which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality in the organ recipient. Solid organ donors with central nervous system (CNS) pathogens are an uncommon but deadly source of unexpected DDI. Clinically rec [...]

by Niamh Flynn

Received: 18 March 2021;  Published: 02 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102092

Although studies to understand the pathogenesis of migraines are in progress, no theory has adequately explained the etiology and pathophysiology of migraines to date. This has affected the development of treatment strategies for migraineurs. Currently, the pharmacological treatment for migraines provides both acute and prophylactic options to patients based on a biomedical model of pain. However, patients’ adherence to oral migraine preventive medication (OMPM) is poor, and their persistence is even lower when the [...]

by Ethan Fitzgerald  , Dorian Mateusz Kusyk  and Nestor D Tomycz

Received: 02 December 2020;  Published: 30 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2102170

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, and represents a significant cause of cognitive decline, disability, and mortality. Ongoing clinical trials continue to investigate β-amyloid targeted therapy with unclear benefit, and we are currently limited to symptomatic treatment. Therefore, there is a salient need for the development of novel, potentially disease-modifying therapeutic strategies such as deep brain stimulation. This manuscript reviews Deep Brain Stimulation in Alzheimer’s Dis [...]

by Scott A. Trudeau  and Megan E. Gately

Received: 08 February 2021;  Published: 30 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2102169

The Reading Buddies Program was developed as a service-learning component of an Occupational Therapy Practice with Older Adults course as a collaboration between Tufts University and the VA Bedford Health Care System. The purpose of this service-learning program was to challenge graduate students’ implicit biases and improve communication skills when working with older adults with significant cognitive impairments. Through this collaboration, occupational therapy students provided individualized, activity-based car [...]

by Gunasekaran Singaravelu  , Calvin B Harley  , Joseph M Raffaele  , Pratheesh Sudhakaran Sudhakaran  and Anitha Suram

Received: 27 January 2021;  Published: 29 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2102168

TA-65 is a small molecule telomerase activator extracted from Astragalus species. A previous observational study suggested that TA-65 decreased the number of immunosenescent cells in healthy subjects. Here we examined the impact of TA-65 in a much larger randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. This study aims to evaluate the effects of TA-65 on senescent CD8+CD28- T cells in healthy subjects. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and multi-arm parallel trial in 500 healthy subject [...]

by Yi-Chun Hsu  , Min-Ze Lu  and Chang-Ming Liaw

Received: 18 December 2020;  Published: 28 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2102018

This paper proposes a Wind Turbine Emulator (WTE) using an Indirect Field Oriented (IFO) Induction Motor (IM). The IM drive can be controlled as a conventional prime mover in speed mode, or a wind turbine in torque-speed mode via robust observed torque control. This paper presents key issues for establishing a high-performance IFO IM drive. Further, this study develops a wind turbine load Interior Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Generator (IPMSG) followed by a three-phase Vienna Switch-Mode Rectifier (SMR). It receive [...]

by Carlos A. Echeverry-Gonzalez  and Vladimir V. Kouznetsov

Received: 01 December 2020;  Published: 28 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2102015

The design of nanomaterials for application in diverse fields ranging from photovoltaic to fluorescence sensing is a research area of increasing interest. Recently, Quantum Dots (QDs), which are classified as semiconductor quantum dots (SQDs) and Carbon dots (CDs), have become a hot topic of investigation, owing to their extraordinary tunable fluorescence emission properties that render them excellent candidates for sensing metal ions. The detection of metal ions in aqueous solutions with high sensitivity is very i [...]

by CT Valliappan  , J Joyson Joe Asir  , V Subashri  , V Vaishnavi  and I Anand Sherwood

Received: 28 December 2020;  Published: 27 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2102014

Furcal perforation management in root canal retreatment is often challenging as the outcome of the perforation sealing depends on several parameters. The recent introduction of several bioactive cements and magnification systems has made the sealing of perforations easier and the outcome more predictable. This study highlights the clinical outcomes of furcal perforation management in root canal retreatment using biodentine.

by Haywantee Ramkissoon

Received: 23 February 2021;  Published: 27 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2102016

The SARS-COV-2 virus has changed people’s lives and caused significant public health issues. The lockdown implemented by several governments across the globe has raised serious concerns on mental and physical wellbeing. Doctors, nurses and other COVID-19 frontline workers being put under extreme pressure to attend to patients’ health are being impacted by high stress levels which can result in burn-out and the inability to cope with the situation. This paper draws on multi-disciplinary research including complement [...]

by Jordin Lane  and Kevin R. Fontaine

Received: 28 December 2020;  Published: 21 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2102015

Carbohydrate-restricted ketogenic diets (KD) were introduced in the mid-19th century as a weight loss method with a resurgence of its use in epilepsy treatment in the 1920’s. Research conducted over the last several years provides evidence that KD’s can confer beneficial effects for several chronic metabolic diseases, including obesity, type-2 diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome. In recent years, emerging evidence suggests KD’s may also have therapeutic benefits for some cancers and for neurological conditions [...]

by Sofía Albolafio  , María I. Gil  , Ana Allende  and Epameinondas Xanthakis

Received: 02 December 2020;  Published: 21 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2102013

The present study aimed to characterize wastewater fractions obtained after the wet extraction of proteins from legumes. In addition, the suitability of wastewater fractions for the potential recovery of high value-added compounds was also examined, and consequently, the prevention of the environmental impact of these wastes was explored. Similar to the industrial production of proteins, wet alkaline and acidic extractions of proteins from faba bean and pea flours were performed in two stages of extraction. The dif [...]

by Zena Aldridge  and Karen Harrison Dening

Received: 15 February 2021;  Published: 21 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2102167

The United Kingdom’s (UK) older population is higher than the global average. Over the next 20 years, England will see an increase in the number of older people who have higher levels of dependency, dementia, and comorbidity many of whom may require 24-hour care. Currently It is estimated that 70% of residents in nursing and residential care homes either have dementia on admission or develop it whilst residing in the care home. The provision of high-quality care for this population is a challenge with a lack of con [...]

by Joshua C. Brown  and Jessica L. Broadway

Received: 01 December 2020;  Published: 20 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102091

Lamotrigine is generally accepted as a well-tolerated medication with few cognitive side effects. Here, we report a case of a 62-year old female with a severe, rapidly progressive dementia-like process which was completely reversed after reduction of lamotrigine. Associated findings included hyperreflexia with clonus, ataxia, Wernicke-like dysphasia, global cognitive impairment, burst suppression on electroencephalogram (EEG), and bilateral parietal hypo-metabolism on fluorodeoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography [...]

by David Feinstein

Received: 01 February 2021;  Published: 19 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2102014

The impact of psychological factors on illness is, in recent years, being biochemically mapped. The subspecialties of psychosomatic medicine, health psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, and integrative medicine work with mind and body in concert to promote health and healing. A specialized set of mind-body approaches, collectively called “energy psychology,” is being utilized within these and related clinical frameworks to facilitate beneficial changes in the neurological underpinnings of (1) mental states that imped [...]