by Sara Schatz  and Melvin Gonzalez Rivera

Received: 15 March 2019;  Published: 13 August 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1903069

Pragmatic competence includes the capacity to express illocutionary force and successfully achieve perlocutionary effects, in order to guarantee fully functional communication exchanges. Improved pragmatic competence in patients has been found in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and early to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in the domains of jokes, self-expression and empathy after extended, targeted intranasal insulin therapy. In this paper it is argued that extended intra-nasal insulin treatment can [...]

by Lorraine Cowley  and Mari Jones

Received: 30 December 2019;  Published: 26 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2002108

This paper explores views of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in genetics and foetal medicine settings on offering pre-natal diagnosis (PND) for adult onset cancer susceptibility (AOCS) genes. Study participants came from different disciplinary backgrounds and all had considered implications of offering PND for AOCS, directly or indirectly, from professional and personal perspectives. Foetal medicine and genetics teams are accustomed to offering PND with the possibility of terminating an affected foetus on the basis [...]

by Michael Lincoln  , Stephen Aichele  , Emma L.M. Clark  , Maggie Dungan  , Ashley Harvey  , Lillian Hoyer  , Yuqin Jiao  , Steffany Josslin  , Frances Russell  and Zeynep Biringen

Received: 12 May 2023;  Published: 27 July 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2303032

Fathers are a historically underrepresented population in developmental research and must be considered for their modern presentation in parenting processes. Emotional Availability (EA) is a construct that captures the parent-child relationship quality and predicts positive outcomes for children. A recently developed intervention, the EA Brief, is a program conceptualized for easy administration that may be utilized to improve father-child dyadic functioning across a range of child ages. The final sample of interes [...]

by Firas AL-Rshoud  , Lina Almahmoud  , Nagham Younis  , Rnad AL. Ajarmeh  and Ahmad M. Fares

Received: 02 January 2024;  Published: 07 March 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2401222

This study aims to assess the Trophectoderm (TE) biopsy practice in Jordan in terms of the following effectiveness parameters: timing of zona breaching, risk of inner cell mass herniation if zona breaching was done on day 3, timing of TE sampling, method of biopsy (pulling or flicking), number of laser pulses, assessment of embryo survival after biopsy, and degeneration rate. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in November 2022. The collected data presented the perception of embryologists (>10 years e [...]

by Jia Yu  , Haiyan Jing  , Zongdeng Wu  , Boyuan Liu  , Wu Lei  and Qingli Hao

Received: 29 April 2022;  Published: 21 June 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2202016

The rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the key to developing fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Carbon-supported iron-based materials, as the most promising electrocatalysts for ORR, have drawn much attention as they are cost-effective and exhibit high activity. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) Fe3O4-decorated N-doped graphene aerogel (Fe3O4/NGA) catalyst was synthesized following a simple hydrothermal method which was followed by an annealing process. The co [...]

by Scott S. Graves  , DavidW. Mathes  and Rainer Storb

Received: 23 November 2018;  Published: 23 August 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1903080

Background: The application of hematopoietic cell transplantation for induction of immune tolerance has been limited by toxicities associated with conditioning regimens and to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Decades of animal studies have culminated into sufficient control of these two problems, making immune tolerance a viable alternative to life-long application of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent allograft rejection. Methods: Studies in mice have paved the way for the application of HCT with limited toxicity [...]

by Akemi Hirano  , Yusuke Suzuki  , Hiroyuki Umegaki  , Toshio Hayashi  , Koichiro Ina  , Joji Onishi  , Jun Hasegawa  and Masafumi Kuzuya

Received: 13 October 2019;  Published: 19 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2001108

The incidence of vascular diseases among caregivers of dementia patients is high, and one potential cause is the exacerbation of blood coagulability due to mental strain from caregiving. This study aimed to examine the effects of aerobic exercise on blood coagulability, from the perspective of improving the health of caregivers. Thirty-one healthy elderly caregivers, residing with patients suffering from Alzheimer’s-type dementia, were randomly divided into two groups. In the intervention group, moderate walk [...]

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 Walid AL-ACHKAR  , Manar As’sad  , Thomas Liehr  , Adnan Ikhtiar  and Abdulsamad Wafa

Received: 14 August 2018;  Published: 20 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902081

Background: The aggressive T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is one of the frequently occurring malignancies of the thymocytes. T-ALL is observed in 15% and 25% of all new diagnosed ALL cases in children and adults, respectively. Notably, T-ALL has a 3-fold higher incidence in males than in females. In nearly half of T-ALL cases, structural and/or numerical chromosomal abnormalities are detected, which have an important prognostic significance. A well-known genetic subtype of B-ALL, high hyperdiploidy (He [...]

by Steven D. Ross  , Sydney Rudowski  and Shibani Kanungo

Received: 10 April 2023;  Published: 14 June 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2302182

Spinal muscular atrophy, a leading cause of infant death, is a neurodegenerative disease classified categorically based on age of onset and achieved motor function. The standard method of diagnosis is through molecular genetic testing, ideally through the newborn screen to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. There are 4 types of spinal muscular atrophy, each with varying degrees of symptoms based on the number of survival motor neurons. Current treatment options include gene therapy and supportive care. Futur [...]

by Azza. A. Abou-Hussein  , Wolfgang Linert  and Nelly H. Mahmoud

Received: 18 September 2019;  Published: 19 November 2019;  doi: 10.21926/acr.1904001

Mixed ligand copper(II) complexes of the empirical formula [Cu (L)(TFAA)]X, where L represents 2,2´-bipyridine (Bipy), 1,10´-phenanthroline (Phen), or 4,7-diphenyl-1,10´- phenanthroline (Dphen), TFAA is 1,1,1-Trifluoro-2,4-pentanedione, and X is the counter ion (BF4- or ClO4-), were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic, magnetic, molar conductance, elemental, and thermal analysis. Solvatochromic studies revealed that all the complexes showed bathochromic shifts. A square planar geometric structure is prop [...]

by Holly Hazlett-Stevens

Received: 26 July 2021;  Published: 23 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2104049

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based health education program for medical patients with a variety of chronic conditions. MBSR also benefits health care providers themselves, decreasing work-related stress and preventing burnout. The objectives of this study were to describe an abbreviated MBSR curriculum developed for health care providers and to present initial program evaluation data assessing acceptability and outcomes. This program was implemented outside the research context with an o [...]

by Megan Schutt  and Harvey Seim

Received: 10 April 2020;  Published: 30 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2002006

SODAR wind profiler measurements from a land-based site within 1000 m of the coastal ocean are compared with predicted wind profiles based on upwind conditions and a stability-based model. The thermally dynamic influence of the Gulf Stream near the site of measurement, Cape Hatteras, has been found to complicate wind speed estimation at height through its impacts on atmospheric stability and the resulting changes to wind shear. The COARE 3.0 algorithm was used to calculate a Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST) s [...]

by Maurizio Salvadori  and Aris Tsalouchos

Received: 13 October 2019;  Published: 02 December 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1904093

Antibody-mediated rejection represents a significant barrier to favorable long-term outcomes after kidney transplantation and remains the most common cause of allograft failure. Therapeutic apheresis techniques are commonly used, in combination with other treatments such as immunosuppressive drugs, in the pre-transplant and post-transplant protocols for the prevention and treatment of antibody-mediated injury. The rationale is to remove the donor-specific antibodies and the other inflammatory mediators, which inclu [...]

by Michael Mazzei  , Suresh Keshavamurthy  , Olga Timofeeva  and Yoshiya Toyoda

Received: 11 September 2020;  Published: 04 January 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2101130

Preoperative sensitization of the cardiac transplant recipient, defined as the presence of anti-Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) antibodies before transplant, represents a significant management challenge for physicians. Sensitization prolongs the pre-transplant wait time and is associated with postoperative transplant complications and death. It is critical that sensitized heart transplant candidates be identified and optimized before surgery. In this review, we describe the risk for sensitization, discuss the means [...]

by Francisca S. Rodriguez

Received: 19 June 2018;  Published: 31 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1804017

Background: Cognitive reserve describes the capacity for cognitively normal functioning despite brain damage. Previous research on cognitive reserve outlined how characteristics of the brain promote good cognitive functioning, although it is not yet clear what cognitive processes help individuals to maintain good cognitive functioning in the face of brain damage. Methods: Narrative review of relevant articles identified in literature searches for cognitive and/or psychometric characteristics of cognitive reserve. R [...]

by Ganisetti Vijay Kumar  , Min-Ze Lu  and Chang-Ming Liaw

Received: 02 May 2021;  Published: 11 August 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2103037

The development of high-efficiency motor drives for various applications is important in the industry 4.0 era, especially for their extensive application to electric vehicles (EVs). In this study, a position sensorless EV synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) drive has been developed, which exhibits good driving performance and efficiency over a wide speed and load range. To solve the key problems popularly encountered in the existing approaches, the high-frequency injection (HFI) scheme based on q-axis injection ha [...]

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 Deborah Ayodele-Olajire  , Temilade Sesan  and Mike Clifford

Received: 08 December 2024;  Published: 25 July 2025;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2503027

Biomass-fuel use by over 2 billion of the world’s population contributes to their poor respiratory health and climate change. This paper traces the history of clean cooking and explores strategies for its sustained adoption in developing countries, such as Nigeria, drawing on global lessons from past successes and failures. This study employed a rapid review methodology to synthesize evidence and inform decision-making on the adoption of clean cooking. The research was guided by a central question on how to p [...]

by Louguangshu Huang  , Hui Liu  , Xiaoxia Xue  , Wuduo Zhao  and Tiesheng Li

Received: 13 December 2021;  Published: 03 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2201003

In this article, an approach to generate self-assembly cyclopalladated polythiophene imine monolayers (denoted as ITO@Pd-CPTIMs) is described. The monolayers were fabricated by combining self-assembly (SA), hybrid doping (HD), and electrochemical polymerization (ECP) called SA-HD-ECP. The catalytic activity and stability of the polymerized monolayers in the Suzuki coupling reaction were improved by modulating the structure and morphology in hybrid doping using different thiophene derivatives, concentrations, and sc [...]

by Alicia Aguirre  , Sandra El Khori  and Rafael Borneo

Received: 12 December 2022;  Published: 12 April 2023;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2302006

Celiac disease (CD) is one of the most common intestinal diseases in humans today. The only "cure" for this disease is a strictly gluten-free diet. Bread is a highly accepted food product. But, bread is a product that owns its technological properties to the presence of gluten. Bread without gluten has different texture, palatability, and sensorial properties. Therefore, new products are needed to solve this problem. Chickpeas are an inexpensive source of protein for making gluten-free baked goods. In this study, w [...]

by Fariba Moradipour  , Andreas Markert  , Thomas Rudszuck  , Niklas Röttgen  , Gerald Dück  , Martin Finsterbusch  , Felix Gerbig  , Hermann Nirschl  and Gisela Guthausen

Received: 04 August 2023;  Published: 02 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2304032

Charge transfer and mobility are essential for electrochemical processes in batteries, which need to be understood in detail for optimization, especially in the case of all-solid-state batteries. Wide line NMR is well-known in solid-state NMR and allows the quantification of ion mobility in ordered crystalline and amorphous structures. Temperature-dependent 23Na-NMR is sensitive to ion mobility via longitudinal relaxation, but also via line analysis and transverse relaxation. As 23Na is a spin 3/2 nucleus, 23Na-NMR [...]

by Ghulam Ali  and Jan Nisar

Received: 22 July 2022;  Published: 01 November 2022;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2204044

Due to the massive increase in polymer manufacture, there has been a remarkable increase in plastic waste. With fewer landfills being used to dump plastic waste each year, it is becoming increasingly important to use effective recycling methods for plastic waste decomposition. In the present work, waste polystyrene was degraded in the presence of natural clay (K0.02, Ca0.15 [Mg0.25, Al0.69, Fe0.06], [Si2.0, Al0.6] O6.8 (O10) nH2O). The waste polymer was pyrolyzed at different heating rates i.e., 5, 10, 15 and 20&#x [...]

by Sharon Clevenger

Received: 02 April 2020;  Published: 18 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002031

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is a viral pathogen that first emerged in Wuhan, China in 2002 and has spread to 202 countries (as of March 28, 2020) [1]. Despite the fact that the 2005 SARS-CoV pandemic infected over 8,500 people, and caused over 800 deaths with billions of dollars in economic loss worldwide, as of 2015 there were still no clinically approved antiviral drugs, vaccines or monoclonal antibody therapies to treat SARS-CoV infections [2]. Antiviral medications that have been used to treat or control oth [...]

by Lidiane A. Morais  , Francisco L. Castro  , Glauber J.T. Fernandes  , Marcio D.S. Araujo  , Mirna F. Farias  , Ana P.M.A. Guedes  , Valter J. Fernandes Jr  and Antonio S. Araujo

Received: 17 August 2022;  Published: 30 May 2023;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2302017

The TiO2/MCM-41 nanomaterials were synthesized by impregnation with an excess solvent with different percentages of titanium dioxide. They were used for catalytic degradation of Benzene Toluene Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous media. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray Diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption using the BET method and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The nanostructured phase of the hexagonal ordered materials was obtained even [...]