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Topic Review
List of Folding@home Cores
The distributed-computing project Folding@home uses scientific computer programs, referred to as "cores" or "fahcores", to perform calculations. Folding@home's cores are based on modified and optimized versions of molecular simulation programs for calculation, including TINKER, GROMACS, AMBER, CPMD, SHARPEN, ProtoMol and Desmond. These variants are each given an arbitrary identifier (Core xx). While the same core can be used by various versions of the client, separating the core from the client enables the scientific methods to be updated automatically as needed without a client update.
  • 1.4K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Plant-Associated Bacteria
Plant-associated bacteria may serve three different roles with respect to a host plant: mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic. Using beneficial bacteria to improve plant productivity is an area of research that has received much attention.
  • 1.4K
  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Convolutional Neural Networks for Image Classification
Convolutional neural networks learn directly from data and are widely used for image recognition and classification. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have been considered one of the best machine learning algorithms to analyze grid-like structured data, such as images. 
  • 1.4K
  • 07 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Designing Sustainable Housing Using a User-Centred Approach
Housing addresses the fundamental requirement for shelter, significantly impacting quality of life, health, safety, and welfare. User-centred design (UCD) is a qualitative methodology that prioritises end users in the design process.
  • 1.4K
  • 19 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Stress Detection Using Empatica E4 and Machine Learning
In response to challenging circumstances, the human body can experience marked levels of anxiety and distress. To prevent stress-related complications, timely identification of stress symptoms is crucial, necessitating the need for continuous stress monitoring.
  • 1.4K
  • 22 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Globally, many individuals struggle with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an unrelenting and incapacitating neurodegenerative condition. Despite notable research endeavors, effective remedies for AD remain constrained, prompting the exploration of innovative therapeutic avenues. Within this context, silica-based nanoplatforms have emerged with pronounced potential due to their unique attributes like expansive surface area, customizable pore dimensions, and compatibility with living systems. These nanoplatforms hold promise as prospective interventions for AD.
  • 1.4K
  • 01 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Liver Support Systems
Liver support systems are therapeutic devices to assist in performing the functions of the liver in persons with liver damage. The primary functions of the liver include removing toxic substances from the blood, manufacturing blood proteins, storing energy in the form of glycogen, and secreting bile. The hepatocytes that perform these tasks can be killed or impaired by disease, resulting in hepatic insufficiency. A sudden onset of life-threatening hepatic insufficiency is known as acute liver failure (ALF). In hyperacute and acute liver failure the clinical picture develops rapidly with progressive encephalopathy and multiorgan dysfunction such as hyperdynamic circulation, coagulopathy, acute kidney injury and respiratory insufficiency, severe metabolic alterations and cerebral edema that can lead to brain death. In these cases the mortality without liver transplantation (LTx) ranges between 40-80%. LTx is the only effective treatment for these patients although it requires a precise indication and timing to achieve good results. Nevertheless, due to the scarcity of organs to carry out liver transplantations, it is estimated that one third of patients with ALF die while waiting to be transplanted. On the other hand, a patient with a chronic hepatic disease can suffer an acute decompensation of liver function following a precipitating event such as variceal bleeding, sepsis and excessive alcohol intake among others that can lead to a condition referred to as acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Both types of hepatic insufficiency, ALF and ACLF, can potentially be reversible and liver functionality can return to a level similar to that prior to the insult or precipitating event. LTx is the only treatment that has shown an improvement in the prognosis and survival with most severe cases of ALF. Nevertheless, cost and donor scarcity have prompted researchers to look for new supportive treatments that can act as “bridge” to the transplant procedure. By stabilizing the patient's clinical state, or by creating the right conditions that could allow the recovery of native liver functions, both detoxification and synthesis can improve, after an episode of ALF or ACLF. Basically, three different types of supportive therapies have been developed: bio-artificial, artificial and hybrid liver support systems (Table 2). Bio-artificial liver support systems are experimental extracorporeal devices that use living cell lines to provide detoxification and synthesis support to the failing liver. Bio-artificial liver (BAL) Hepatassist 2000 uses porcine hepatocytes11 whereas ELAD system employs hepatocytes derived from human hepatoblastoma C3A cell lines.9, Both techniques can produce, in fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), an improvement of hepatic encephalopathy grade and biochemical parameters. Nevertheless, they are therapies with high complexity that require a complex logistic approach for implementation; a very high cost and possible inducement of important side effects such as immunological issues (porcine endogenous retrovirus transmission), infectious complications and tumor transmigration have been documented. Other biological hepatic systems are Bioartificial Liver Support (BLSS)12 and Radial Flow Bioreactor (RFB).15 Detoxification capacity of these systems is poor and therefore they must be used combined with other systems to mitigate this deficiency. Today its use is limited to centers with high experience in their application. Artificial liver support systems are aimed to temporally replace native liver detoxification functions and they use albumin as scavenger molecule to clear the toxins involved in the physiopathology of the failing liver. Most of the toxins that accumulate in the plasma of patients with liver insufficiency are protein bound, and therefore conventional renal dialysis techniques, such as hemofiltration, hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration are not able to adequately eliminate them. Between the different albumin dialysis modalities, single pass albumin dialysis (SPAD) has shown some positive results at a very high cost; it has been proposed that lowering the concentration of albumin in the dialysate does not seem to affect the detoxification capability of the procedure. Nevertheless, the most widely used systems today are based on hemodialysis and adsorption. These systems use conventional dialysis methods with an albumin containing dialysate that is later regenerated by means of adsorption columns, filled with activated charcoal and ion exchange resins. At present, there are two artificial extracorporeal liver support systems: the Molecular Adsorbents Recirculating System (MARS)10 from Gambro and Fractionated Plasma Separation and Adsorption (FPSA), commercialised as Prometheus (PROM) from Fresenius Medical Care.13 Of the two therapies, MARS is the most frequently studied, and clinically used system to date.
  • 1.4K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The Formation of Biofilms
Biofilms are matrix-enclosed bacterial populations that are adherent to each other and to surfaces and/or interfaces and are mainly composed of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and extracellular DNA.
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Nanotechnological Smart Food Packaging
Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are of real interest because along with the bioactivity induced by the components (or by the polymer itself), these materials due to the composite nature can exhibit some improved physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties compared to individual components [1]. Due to the innovative properties such as maintaining the quality and safety of food but also increasing the shelf-life of the food, nanocomposite packaging has great potential as an innovative food packaging technology. The polymer nanocomposites used in developing food packaging materials are mainly composed of the polymer matrix, nanofillers, plasticizers, and compatibilizers.
  • 1.4K
  • 02 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Herd Immunity against Viral Diseases
Microbiome is the preeminent factor to maintain the efficacy of vaccine platform. The inception of herd immunity in society is depending upon food habits, microbiome symbiosis, environmental factors, and network among people with each other.  Rigorous pan-India polio vaccination program for the last 30 years develops heterologous immunity providing cardinal protection against the COVID-19.
  • 1.4K
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
OTEC plant impact on Chiapas
Despite the proved potential to harness ocean energy off the Mexican coast, one of the main aspects that have restrained the development of this industry is the lack of information regarding the environmental and social impacts of the devices and plants. Under this premise, a review of literature that could help identifying the potential repercussions of energy plants on those fields was performed. The available studies carried out around the world show a clear tendency to use indicators to assess impacts specifically related to the source of energy to be converted. The information gathered was used to address the foreseeable impacts on a hypothetical case regarding the deployment of an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant off the Chiapas coast in Mexico. From the review it was found that for OTEC plants, the most important aspect to be considered is the discharge plume volume and its physicochemical composition, which can lead to the proliferation of harmful algal blooms. Regarding the case study, it is interesting to note that although the environmental impacts need to be mitigated and monitored, they can be somehow alleviated considering the potential social benefits of the energy industry.
  • 1.4K
  • 12 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is an impaired ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. Lactose is normally broken down by an enzyme called lactase, which is produced by cells in the lining of the small intestine.
  • 1.4K
  • 04 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Chromoblastomycosis
Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is a neglected, chronic, and progressive subcutaneous mycosis caused by different species of fungi from the Herpotrichiellaceae family. CBM disease is usually associated with agricultural activities, and its infection is characterized by verrucous, erythematous papules, and atrophic lesions on the upper and lower limbs, leading to social stigma and impacts on patients’ welfare. The economic aspect of disease treatment is another relevant issue. There is no specific treatment for CBM, and different anti-fungal drug associations are used to treat the patients.
  • 1.4K
  • 22 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Collagen Type XI Alpha 1
Collagen type XI alpha 1 (COL11A1) is one of the alpha chains of type XI collagen, which is important for bone development. Interestingly, COL11A1 levels are frequently upregulated in various cancers and high levels of COL11A1 are correlated with poor clinical outcome in many solid cancers. Increasing evidence shows that COL11A1 promotes tumor cell aggressiveness through multiple mechanisms.
  • 1.4K
  • 15 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Plasmonic Biosensors for Single-molecule Detection
Plasmonic biosensing has enabled the design of novel detection strategies capable of targeting individual molecules while evaluating their binding affinity and biological interactions.
  • 1.4K
  • 22 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Rectal Prolapse
Rectal prolapse is a condition that can cause significant social impairment and negatively affects quality of life. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment, with the aim of restoring the anatomy and correcting the associated functional disorders.
  • 1.4K
  • 28 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Nature of the Bounce in LQC and PQM
We present a review concerning quantum cosmology in the presence of cut-off physics. We analyze how the Wheeler–DeWitt equation describes the quantum Universe dynamics when a pure metric approach is concerned, showing that the primordial singularity is not removed by the quantum effects. We then analyze the main implications of applying Loop Quantum Gravity prescriptions to the minisuperspace model, i.e., we discuss the basic features of Loop Quantum Cosmology. For the isotropic Universe dynamics, we compare the original m0 scheme and the most commonly accepted formulation, i.e. the so-called ¯m scheme. Furthermore, some fundamental results concerning the Bianchi Universes are discussed. Finally, we consider some relevant criticisms about the real link between the full theory of LQG and its minisuperspace implementation, especially with respect to the preservation of the internal SU(2) symmetry. In the second part of the review, we consider the dynamics of the isotropic Universe and of the Bianchi models in the framework of Polymer Quantum Mechanics. We first address the polymerization in termsof the Ashtekar–Barbero–Immirzi connection and show how the resulting dynamics is isomorphic to the m0 scheme of LQC with a critical energy density of the Universe that depends on the initial conditions for the dynamics. Then we analyze the polymerization of volume-like variables, both for the isotropic and Bianchi I models, and we see that if the Universe volume (the cubed scale factor) is one of the configurational variables, then the resulting dynamics is isomorphic to that for the ¯m scheme of LQC, with the critical energy density value being fixed only by fundamental constants and the Immirzi parameter. Finally, we consider the polymer quantum dynamics of the homogeneous and inhomogeneous Mixmaster model by means of a metric approach. In particular, we compare the results obtained by using the volume variable, which leads to the emergence of a singularity-free and chaos-free cosmology, to the use of the standard Misner variable. In the latter case we deal with the surprising result of a cosmology that is still singular, and its chaotic properties depend on the ratio between the lattice steps for the isotropic and anisotropic variables. We conclude the review with some considerations of the problem of changing variables in polymer cosmology. In particular, on a semiclassical level, we consider how the dynamics can be properly mapped in two different sets of variables (at the price of having to deal with a coordinate dependent lattice step), and we infer some possible implications on the equivalence of the m0 and ¯m scheme of LQC.
  • 1.4K
  • 09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
MALDI MS-Based Investigations Targeting SARS-CoV-2
The urgent need to fight the COVID-19 pandemic has impressively stimulated the efforts of the international scientific community, providing an extraordinary wealth of studies. Improving the current laboratory testing methods and developing new rapid and reliable diagnostic approaches might be useful in managing contact tracing in the fight against both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the new, potentially fast-spreading CoV-2 variants. Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based testing methods and more specifically MALDI-MS have demonstrated without any doubt the great potential to overcome many unresolved analytical challenges arising from currently used laboratory testing assays, becoming an effective proteomic tool in several applications, including pathogen identification. With the aim of highlighting the challenges and opportunities that derive from MALDI-based approaches for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, we extensively examined the most promising proofs of concept for MALDI studies related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • 1.4K
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Flavonoids Synergistically Enhance Anti-Glioblastoma Effects of Chemotherapeutic Drugs
Flavonoids are polyphenolic plant secondary metabolites with pleiotropic biological properties, including anti-cancer activities. These natural compounds have potential utility in glioblastoma (GBM), a malignant central nervous system tumor derived from astrocytes. 
  • 1.4K
  • 16 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Phytosterols in Seaweeds
Phytosterols, as the name implies, are defined as fatty compounds produced by plants, and remarkably contribute as the major lipid constituent of biological membrane of plant cells.
  • 1.4K
  • 04 Jan 2022
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