by Or Shalev

Received: 28 April 2023;  Published: 11 July 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2303028

This case report explores the shifts in therapeutic power relations during the COVID-19 pandemic between an art therapist and her Deaf client diagnosed with schizophrenia. A therapeutic journey of two and a half years is described, accompanied by examples of the client's artwork. This case report demonstrates how a shared reality in times of global crisis enabled the rethinking of therapeutic power relations and the way art was used to shift these dynamics. The art therapist's ability to use her shared reality expe [...]

by Nabila Enam  , Sara Benham  and Nancy Green

Received: 09 August 2023;  Published: 30 October 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304048

This study examined the effects of virtual mindfulness meditation programming on sleep efficiency using wearable tracking devices, as well as effects on sleep quality and perceived stress in higher education students. A one-group, pretest-posttest design with convenience sampling and rolling recruitment over a six-month period resulted in twenty-five participants who completed the study and were included in data analysis. Paired t-tests were used to determine statistical significance for sleep efficiency measured u [...]

by Yujie Wen  , Anita Y. Chhabra  , Joseph R. Leventhal  and Suzanne T. Ildstad

Received: 29 October 2018;  Published: 20 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1804027

This review summarizes the latest results from the interventional clinical trials for inducing clinical tolerance in the recipients of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched or mismatched living donor kidney transplants via allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-based therapies. The protocols utilized by the three medical centers in the United States differ in degree of HLA-matching, relatedness or unrelatedness, donor cell composition of the hematopoietic stem cells transplant (HSCT), timing for infusion and cond [...]

by Marcel Torrent

Received: 16 November 2022;  Published: 15 May 2023;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2302032

This article quantifies the recycling potential of the metallic materials that make up three-phase induction motors. The data on the use of electric motors by type and power determines that the most significant recycling potential lies in this low-voltage motor which powers up to 75 kW. The work aims to show the possibility of such recycling in the European Union (EU). The metals used to make the various parts of the induction motor and the main recycling methods that allow their reuse are listed. It evaluates whic [...]

by António A. L. Ferreira  , Pedro Delgado  , Helena Parauta  , Charles V. Löwenström  and Joana O. Almeida

Received: 30 September 2022;  Published: 11 January 2023;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2301004

In the context of inspection and maintenance actions for beach walkways in the North of Portugal, some samples of wood used in their construction were collected – the Pinus sylvestris wood, widely applied in the country. The sustainability of the beach walkways over natural coastal areas is very dependent on their material durability. One of the main problems of the timber used to build those structures is its behavior under wet-drying cycles. For that reason, this work aimed to simulate the effects of weathering o [...]

by Zeel Maheshwari  and Rama Ramakumar

Received: 29 August 2021;  Published: 21 January 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2201006

Rural and remote communities are more vulnerable to damage caused by extreme events as compared to urban areas. Natural disasters can disrupt basic supplies such as domestic water supply and cooking needs in addition to electricity outages. The recognition of the interlinked nature of food, water and energy has gained momentum over the past few years. Smart Integrated Renewable Energy System (SIRES) has been proposed to handle basic needs such as cooking, domestic and irrigation water supply, and electricity to rem [...]

by Fahriye Yagmur Bütün Buschalsky  and Carsten Mai

Received: 15 March 2021;  Published: 22 July 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2103029

A thermo-hydrolytic disintegration process qualifies as a promising option for recycling the waste MDF and preserving the fibrous morphology of the recovered lignocellulosic fibre material. This study aims to include a drainage process between the thermo-hydrolytic disintegration and the further utilization of the recovered fibres (RF) obtained using a screw press for removing the disintegration water (DW). In this context, the chemical properties of the RF (pH, nitrogen content, formaldehyde emissions) and the DW [...]

by Claire Sanderson  and Paul D. Loprinzi

Received: 15 July 2019;  Published: 09 October 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1904043

Objective: Reversal learning requires an individual to alter their behavior when previously learned reward-based contingencies are reversed. Reversal learning is heavily influenced by cognitive flexibility, which has been shown to be enhanced with acute exercise. However, minimal work has directly evaluated the effects of acute exercise on reversal learning, which was the purpose of this experiment. Methods: A between-subject randomized controlled intervention was employed. Participants (N=60) were randomized into [...]

by Danilo Donati  , Giacomo Farì  , Federica Giorgi  , Andrea Bernetti  and Roberto Tedeschi

Received: 02 June 2024;  Published: 22 November 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2404257

This review evaluates the efficacy of Action Observation Training (AOT) in improving upper limb functionality in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Five studies were selected based on strict inclusion criteria, focusing on clinical interventions that assessed AOT's effects on upper limb motor skills in pediatric CP populations. Across these studies, significant improvements were observed in motor skills such as reach, grasp, and spontaneous use of the affected limb, underscoring AOT's potential functional benefits. [...]

by Shashya Wijesinghe  and Elizabeta B. Mukaetova-Ladinska

Received: 03 March 2024;  Published: 10 May 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2402279

In the UK, 25,000 people from ethnic minority background live with dementia. Although dementia associated risk factors are common amongst South Asians, they tend to present at services later and when in crisis. This review explores UK South Asian communities perception of dementia to understand factors impacting their decision to seek help. Search terms assisted by the PICO strategy were inputted into five databases and ten qualitative papers identified. Meta-ethnography methodological framework was implemented for [...]

by Bo Pang  , Qi Zhang  , Guang-Yu Cheng  , Wei-Ping Cheng  , Daniela Litscher  , Lu Wang  , Zemin Sheng  , Ingrid Gaischek  , Zhong-Ren Sun  and Gerhard Litscher

Received: 08 June 2016;  Published: 23 August 2016;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1601003

(1) Background: Within this study, we assessed the effects of acupuncture on heart rate variability (HRV) in Chinese post-stroke patients. (2) Methods: In 30 Chinese post-stroke patients (14 f, 16 m; mean age ± SD 64.3 ± 3.8 years; range 40 - 80 years) electrocardiographic signals before, during and after acupuncture at the left Weizhong acupoint (BL40) were recorded in Harbin and analyzed in Graz using teleacupuncture via internet. HRV data were analyzed in the time and frequency domain and a protoco [...]

by Sadmanul Hoque  , Md. Rashidul Islam  , Md Shafiullah  , Saymun Adnan  and Md. Samiul Azam

Received: 18 June 2023;  Published: 28 September 2023;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2303030

In an electric power system operation, the main goal of economic dispatch (ED) is to schedule the power outputs of committed generating units efficiently. This involves consideration of relevant system equality and inequality constraints to meet the required power demand at the lowest possible operational cost. This is a challenging optimization problem for power system operators that can be dealt with efficient meta-heuristic algorithms. This article uses a recent meta-heuristic approach named the generalized norm [...]

by Khac An DAO  , Hong Trang PHAM  and Van Vuong HOANG

Received: 01 September 2022;  Published: 31 January 2023;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2301006

Recently the GexOy nanomaterials have been studying intensively due to their interesting electronic materials, which have many particular properties and applications in nanotechnology and nano-devices fabrication. Much work has been done on many different synthesis methods and their properties of Ge and GexOy nanomaterials. However, the effects of the different Ge substrate surface states and Au catalyst layer thicknesses on the formation of different forms/morphologies of nanomaterials (nanowires, nanorods, nanopa [...]

by Petr A. Fedotov  , Maria A. Simonenko  , Yulia V. Sazonova  , Mariya A. Bortsova  , Artem N. Kostomarov  and Mariya Yu. Sitnikova

Received: 01 February 2019;  Published: 05 August 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1903077

Background: To estimate the survival of patients in the heart transplantation waiting list (HTx WL) at Almazov National Medical Research Centre (V.A. Almazov NMRC), Saint-Petersburg, Russia, from 2010 to 2017 and to define risk factors for death among these patients. Methods: It was a single-center retrospective study involving 151 patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF) in the HTx WL. Results: Mortality in the HTx WL for the period 2010-2017 was found to decrease. Based on the results of constructing th [...]

by Courtney Tate  , Jason P Butler  , Cameron Curley  , Siok-Keen Tey  , Glen A Kennedy  and Ashleigh P Scott

Received: 23 June 2020;  Published: 23 October 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2004121

Acquired Severe Aplastic Anaemia (SAA) is a rare bone marrow failure syndrome, for which allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a proven curative therapy. Despite excellent outcomes for matched sibling SAA recipients in terms of engraftment and survival, HSCT remains highly challenging in older matched-unrelated-donor (MUD) recipients, due to increased non-relapse mortality (NRM) from causes such as graft versus host disease (GVHD), organ failure and infection. We sought to evaluate our local HSCT [...]

by Melissa Stock  and Catriona Craig

Received: 20 April 2024;  Published: 14 September 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2403051

‘Personality disorders’ (referred to as complex emotional needs in this report) are common in older adults. Yet they are often under-recognised which impacts access to appropriate care pathways. Once in services, older adults lack the same access to specialist mental health care as adults, and the evidence base in older adults with complex emotional needs is sparse. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is an approach that has shown promise for those with complex emotional needs. This case report presents a 12-session C [...]

by Ami Rokach  and Karishma Patel

Received: 27 July 2023;  Published: 13 October 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304042

The healthcare industry is the largest and fastest growing industry in the world; however, being a part of the healthcare system involves being at an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems, loneliness, stress, and increased susceptibility to experiencing compassion fatigue related to the emotional wear associated with providing patient-centered care. Healthcare workers include, but are not limited, to physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and psychologists. Often, healthcare workers place [...]

by Qing Ye  , Yijen L. Wu  , Lesley M. Moley  , Parker H. Mills  , Fang-Cheng Yeh  , Haosen Zhang  , Danielle F. Eytan  , Li Liu  , T. Kevin Hitchens  and Chien Ho

Received: 07 January 2019;  Published: 29 August 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1903083

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) remains a major obstacle to long-term heart allograft survival. A number of studies show that immune mechanisms are involved in CAV. Using non-invasive cellular MRI (CMRI) to explore indicators of CAV lesions and characterize its development could provide new insights into the target immune cells that are responsible for the progression of CAV and reveal early markers of the disease before irreversible changes occur. Methods and Results: Rat heart transplant allograf [...]

by Mariarosaria Angrisano  and Francesco Fabbrocino

Received: 02 August 2022;  Published: 11 January 2023;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2301005

Nowadays, the challenge of climate change and “ecological transition” is substantially an “energy challenge” for every city, which is supposed to become as “energetically self-sufficient” as possible. The construction sector is one of the main contributors to the effects of climate change, starting from the production of materials to the use phase of buildings to their demolition. Recent innovations in sustainable/circular design are related to using “new materials." According to this perspective, nanomaterials are [...]

by Reinhard Haas  , Marina Siebenhofer  , Jakob Lederer  and Amela Ajanovic

Received: 24 June 2022;  Published: 27 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2203030

Today, the building sector poses a major problem concerning fossil fuel energy consumption and the corresponding emissions of local pollutants and global greenhouse gases (GHG). In addition, an increasing number of people are living in urban areas, and it is becoming challenging to provide the necessary living space and energy for heating in fast-growing cities. Currently, urban areas host approximately 50 % of the global population and generate 70 % of GHG. The core objective of this study is to analyze the histor [...]

by Marco Antonio Gaya de Figueiredo  , Luiza G. dos Santos  , Rômulo Luciano Nascimento  and Harrison Lourenço Corrêa

Received: 18 April 2024;  Published: 11 November 2024;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2404020

Hydrogen is crucial in various industrial sectors and can be obtained through different synthesis routes. However, a significant portion of its production still relies on chemical processes involving fossil fuels, resulting in hydrogen and the generation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) as the final byproduct. In alignment with the goals of the 2030 Agenda, where countries commit to implementing energy transition, hydrogen obtained through a green route has been increasingly explored by governmental and academic entities [...]

by Tahereh Fatemian  and Ezharul Hoque Chowdhury

Received: 29 March 2019;  Published: 15 August 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1903090

Introduction of biocompatible ingredients into nano-material formulations has been studied as a strategy for the enhancement of the pharmacokinetics as well as pharmacodynamics of the final product. With the aim of enhancing drug loading and the ultimate efficacy, incorporation of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) into carbonate apatite (CA) nanoparticles structure was employed in the present study. As a result of BSA embedding in the CA formulation, approximately three-times higher loading efficiency was achieved for pac [...]

by Sophia Demeneopoulou  , Marianna Mantzorou  , Petra Mandysova  , Nikoletta Margari  , Eleni Dokoutsidou  , Aggeliki Tsiligianni  , Chrysoula Tsiou  and Theodoula Adamakidou

Received: 09 October 2020;  Published: 02 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2102165

Dysphagia may become a threatening condition if not diagnosed and treated at an early stage. Healthcare professionals require simple, rapid, and reliable tools for the immediate evaluation of dysphagia in their daily clinical practice. The aim of the present study was the translation and validation of the “Brief Bedside Dysphagia Screening Test-Revised (BBDST-R)” tool in the Greek language in a sample of patients with neurological disorders. The present study was designed as a cross-sectional study cond [...]

by Arnold Hendharto Widdhiarta  , Yousuke Shimaura  , Ichiro Nagai  , Takayuki Shibata  and Yutaka Moritomo

Received: 15 February 2022;  Published: 30 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2201011

We fabricated three thermo-rechargeable batteries using low-cost transition metal hexacyanoferrate and determined the thermal voltage (Vcell) and discharge capacity (Qcell) per unit weight of the total active material in the cathode and anode. The obtained values were compared with the calculated values, which were determined by analyzing the temperature and capacity coefficients of the redox potential.

by Ivan V. Maksimovich

Received: 24 July 2021;  Published: 21 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2104036

The present research is dedicated to the application of intracerebral laser PBMT for the treatment of the consequences of ischemic stroke. The effectiveness of intracerebral laser PBMT is compared to that of the conservative therapy methods. Recent studies have demonstrated a high potential of laser technology PBMT in the treatment of various ischemic lesions of the brain. A total of 836 patients who had experienced ischemic strokes of different degrees of severity in the period ranging from 6 months to 6 years pri [...]