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Topic Review
Caffeine, a Factor for Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common and disabling rheumatic diseases. It is mainly characterized by articular cartilage degradation, which is fundamental for correct joint function, lubrication, and resistance to mechanical loading. However, the whole joint is normally compromised. As a result of the articular cartilage alterations, typical OA symptoms such as pain and joint failure appear, increasing population’s dependency. OA aetiology is not fully understood. However, there are some risk factors such as certain genetic profiles, gender, age, exercise, metabolic alterations, obesity and diet habits, which could increase its prevalence. Notably, diet can play a crucial role in OA onset and evolution. Specifically, it is known that caffeine intake exerts a negative impact on articular cartilage. Overall, there is ample evidence indicating that caffeine intake has a negative impact on the physiology of articular cartilage, increasing consumers predisposition to suffer OA. Considering these results, caffeine consumption should be reduced and closely controlled. Specifically, this control should be compulsory to those people whose caffeine metabolism is reduced, such as children and pregnant women.
  • 4.7K
  • 02 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Oligarchy
Oligarchy (from el ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía); from ὀλίγος (olígos) 'few', and ἄρχω (arkho) 'to rule or to command') is a form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may be distinguished by nobility, wealth, family ties, education or corporate, religious or political, military control. Such states are often controlled by families who typically pass their influence from one generation to the next, but inheritance is not a necessary condition for the application of this term. Throughout history, oligarchies have often been tyrannical, relying on public obedience or oppression to exist. Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which another term commonly used today is plutocracy. Although an oligarchy is usually seen as tyrannical, most modern states rely on some form of oligarchy, usually in the form of representative officials deciding national policy. The concern of tyranny usually occurs when the rule of law is violated or when there's limited separation of powers. Especially during the fourth century BCE, after the restoration of democracy from oligarchical coups, the Athenians used the drawing of lots for selecting government officers to counteract what the Athenians saw as a tendency toward oligarchy in government if a professional governing class were allowed to use their skills for their own benefit. They drew lots from large groups of adult volunteers to pick civil servants performing judicial, executive, and administrative functions (archai, boulē, and hēliastai). They even used lots for posts, such as judges and jurors in the political courts (nomothetai), which had the power to overrule the Assembly.
  • 4.7K
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Drought-Induced Changes in Plant Morphology
Drought stress is the most challenging issue to agricultural productivity and has a pronounced negative effect on plant growth, development, and productivity. Drought stress adversely affects morphological aspects of plants, such as early germination, plant height, relative root length, root diameter, the total biomass of leaves and roots, number of leaves/plants, and branch number/plant.
  • 4.7K
  • 06 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Plant Disease Detection
The detection, quantification, diagnosis, and identification of plant diseases is particularly crucial for precision agriculture. Recently, traditional visual assessment technology has not been able to meet the needs of precision agricultural informatization development, and hyperspectral technology, as a typical type of non-invasive technology, has received increasing attention. Disease detection technologies have became more and more significant on plant science.
  • 4.7K
  • 05 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Seed Morphology in the Arecaceae
Fruit and seed shape are important characteristics in taxonomy providing information on ecological, nutritional, and developmental aspects, but their application requires quantification.  
  • 4.7K
  • 21 Oct 2020
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Self-Service Restaurants in SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the self-service restaurant sector, as well as other types of food services, are facing an unprecedented crisis needing to adapt their service to avoid closing their doors. With varied and quick meals, the self-service buffet is one of the most important types of outside services. However, the type of service where the clients follow a line on the buffet and serve their meals has impaired traditional restaurant operation during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and, perhaps, after it. In this sense, this study presents an overview of the self-service buffet restaurant operational system in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. 
  • 4.7K
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Zoo Food Preparation and Presentation
From its foundations in agricultural science, zoo animal nutrition has developed into a biologically informed, evidence-based discipline. However, some facets of nutrition still make use of a more traditional approach, such as the field of zoo presentation. For example, it is common practice to prepare animal diets by chopping them into bite-size chunks, yet there is limited peer-reviewed evidence that explains the benefits and welfare implications of this practice. The chopping and placement of foods can alter desiccation rates, nutrient breakdown, and food contamination, so it is important to evaluate the implications of current practices. Here, the published literature on the behavioral impacts of different food presentation formats (such as clumped and scattered, and chopped and whole) is reviewed, with reference to a range of taxa. The current state of knowledge of the nutritional and microbiological effects of food presentation practices are also reviewed. Relevant research is available on the behavioral effects of some forms of zoo food presentation; however, relatively little research has been conducted on their nutrient composition effects or desiccation rates. Similarly, there are gaps in terms of the species that have been investigated, with a few mammalian taxa dominating the food presentation literature. Future research projects covering social, behavioral, and welfare impacts, and the nutritional and microbiological consequences of food presentation would further evidence-based zoo and aquarium management practices. Similarly, qualitative research surrounding keeper perception of food presentation formats would help to identify challenges and opportunities in this field.
  • 4.7K
  • 15 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Municipal Solid Waste Management in Cambodia
Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is one of the utmost challenges for Cambodia’s city and district centers. The unsound management of MSW has detrimentally affected the environment and human health.
  • 4.7K
  • 09 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Degradation of Antibiotics
Antibiotics are the therapeutic option for countless infections treatment; unfortunately, they are the second most common group of drugs in wastewaters worldwide due to failures in industrial waste treatments and their irrational use in humans and animals. Several techniques have been assayed for the degradation and mineralisation of antibiotics to reduce the environmental impact; strategies focused on physical, chemical, biological, and combined process design for degradation.
  • 4.7K
  • 25 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Triple-Alpha Process
The triple-alpha process is a set of nuclear fusion reactions by which three helium-4 nuclei (alpha particles) are transformed into carbon.
  • 4.7K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Legal Management
Legal management is an academic and professional discipline that is a hybrid between the study of law and management (i.e., business administration, public administration, etc.). Often, alumni of legal management programmes pursue a professional degree in law such as Juris Doctor (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) while some profess as paralegals, law clerks, political analysts, politicians, public administrators, entrepreneurs, business executives, or pursue careers in the academe. The degree was designed in the Philippines and was first introduced in Ateneo de Manila University in the 1980s by former Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. A similar degree known as Legal Studies is offered at the University of California Berkeley, but without management courses. Legal management student organisations across the Philippines are represented by the Alliance of Legal Management Associations of the Philippines (ALMAP) to the Securities and Exchange Commission, as a non-stock, non-profit, student-run corporation.
  • 4.7K
  • 03 Nov 2022
Topic Review
CO2 and H2S Separation Technologies
The emerging economic activities, modernization of technology and progressive transition from coal utilization to low-carbon fuel drive the rising energy demand. Natural gas is well-known as clean energy resources for electricity generation and fuel for transportation. Currently, CO2 and H2S content in gas fields accounts for up to 90% and 15%, respectively. Apart from fulfilling the market demand, the removal of these contaminants from natural gas is critical due to their corrosive natures, low heating value of natural gas and  greenhouse gas effect. To date, numerous gas fields remain unexplored due to high presence of contaminants. Several technologies such as absorption, adsorption, membrane separation and cryogenic distillation have been developed for natural gas sweetening. This entry comprehensively discussed the mechanisms and state-of-the-art of these conventional technologies.
  • 4.6K
  • 03 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Map Symbolization
Map symbolization is the characters, letters, or similar graphic representations used on a map to indicate an object or characteristic in the real world.
  • 4.6K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Insulin Effects on Target Tissues
Glucose levels in blood must be constantly maintained within a tight physiological range to sustain anabolism. Insulin regulates glucose homeostasis via its effects on glucose production from the liver and kidneys and glucose disposal in peripheral tissues (mainly skeletal muscle). Blood levels of glucose are regulated simultaneously by insulin-mediated rates of glucose production from the liver (and kidneys) and removal from muscle; adipose tissue is a key partner in this scenario, providing nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) as an alternative fuel for skeletal muscle and liver when blood glucose levels are depleted. During sleep at night, the gradual development of insulin resistance, due to growth hormone and cortisol surges, ensures that blood glucose levels will be maintained within normal levels by: (a) switching from glucose to NEFA oxidation in muscle; (b) modulating glucose production from the liver/kidneys. After meals, several mechanisms (sequence/composition of meals, gastric emptying/intestinal glucose absorption, gastrointestinal hormones, hyperglycemia mass action effects, insulin/glucagon secretion/action, de novo lipogenesis and glucose disposal) operate in concert for optimal regulation of postprandial glucose fluctuations. The contribution of the liver in postprandial glucose homeostasis is critical. The liver is preferentially used to dispose over 50% of the ingested glucose and restrict the acute increases of glucose and insulin in the bloodstream after meals, thus protecting the circulation and tissues from the adverse effects of marked hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia.
  • 4.6K
  • 03 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Cinnamon in Human Health
Cinnamon is an unusual tropical plant belonging to the Lauraceae family. It has been used for hundreds of years as a flavor additive, but it has also been used in natural Eastern medicine. Cinnamon extracts are vital oils that contain biologically active compounds, such as cinnamon aldehyde, cinnamic alcohol, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties and is used to treat diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 
  • 4.6K
  • 22 Jun 2021
Topic Review
High-Speed Train Noise Control Methods
The sound of trains is considered a disturbance to most residents around the railroad and train passengers, and the sound generated by trains can interfere with sleep, life, and work. With increases in train speed, the main noise from high-speed trains has changed from rolling noise to aerodynamic noise, and the noise level and noise frequency range have also changed significantly. The current methods of noise reduction for trains are discussed.
  • 4.6K
  • 09 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Glory
Glory (from the Latin gloria, "fame, renown") is used to describe the manifestation of God's presence as perceived by humans according to the Abrahamic religions. Divine glory is an important motif throughout Christian theology, where God is regarded as the most glorious being in existence, and it is considered that human beings are created in the Image of God and can share or participate, imperfectly, in divine glory as image-bearers. Thus Christians are instructed to "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven".
  • 4.6K
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The Heart of Borneo
The HoB is situated in Borneo, the third-largest island in the world next to Greenland and New Guinea. It is shared by Indonesia (Kalimantan) covering an area of 745,567 square kilometers (km2), Borneo Malaysia, comprising the states of Sarawak and Sabah with an area of 124,449 km2 and 73,711 km2, respectively, and a small-nation sate, Brunei Darussalam (5765 km2). The rainforests in Borneo, which evolved between 100 and 150 million years ago, are among the most biologically diverse on Earth. Representing just one percent of the earth’s terrestrial surface, the island of Borneo holds about six percent of the world’s plant and animal species. There are approximately 15,000 flowering plants and 3000 species of trees found in Borneo’s forest, including 6000 endemic species. The biologically diverse island is recognized as a globally significant biodiversity ‘hotspot’. In addition, the uplands of Borneo are a source of at least 14 of the 20 major rivers on the island. Thus, environmentally sustainable resource management is critically important in maintaining the ecological health of riverine systems, which underpin the socio-economic progress of 17 million people in Borneo.
  • 4.6K
  • 23 Sep 2021
Topic Review
WebP
WebP is an image file format developed by Google intended as a replacement for JPEG, PNG, and GIF file formats. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, as well as animation and alpha transparency. Google announced the WebP format in September 2010, and released the first stable version of its supporting library in April 2018.
  • 4.6K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Mashrabiya’s Impact on Energy Efficiency and Cultural Aspects
The traditional and indigenous architecture in Saudi Arabia is being replaced by modern, Western-style buildings, resulting from the growing influence of Western culture. This change is evident in architectural elements such as Mashrabiya, which was once a symbol of the country’s Islamic architecture.
  • 4.6K
  • 17 Jul 2023
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