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Topic Review
Urban Wastewater Treatment in Greece
Although Greece has accomplished the wastewater infrastructure construction in a large extent, as 91% of the country’s population is already connected to urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), many problems still need to be faced, such as the limited reuse of treated wastewater and of the surplus sludge (biosolids) produced, the relative higher energy consumption in the existing rather aged WWTPs infrastructure and the proper management of failing or inadequately designed septic tank/soil absorption systems, still in use in several (mostly rural) areas, lacking sewerage systems. Moreover, the wastewater treatment sector should be examined in the general framework of sustainable environmental development; therefore, Greece’s future challenges in this sector ought to be reconsidered. Thus, the review of Greece’s urban wastewater history, even from the ancient times, up to current developments and trends, will be shortly addressed. Noting also that the remaining challenges should be analyzed in respect to the country’s specific needs (e.g. interaction with the extensive tourism sector), as well as to the European Union’s relevant framework policies and to the respective international technological trends, aiming to consider the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) not only as sites for the treatment/removal of pollutants to prevent environmental pollution, but also as industrial places where energy is efficiently used (or even produced), resources’ content can be potentially recovered and reused (e.g. nutrients, treated water, biosolids) and the environmental sustainability is being overall practiced.
  • 4.4K
  • 04 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Anchovy
An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. The more than 140 species are placed in 17 genera; they are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Anchovies are usually classified as oily fish.
  • 4.4K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Neural Tube Defects
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the second most common congenital malformations of humans, characterized by impaired development of the central nervous system. Even though the etiology of most birth defects remains undetermined, genetic and environmental risk factors in the background of NTDs have been identified and extensively reported.
  • 4.4K
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Bioplastic as a Substitute for Plastic in Construction Industry
Bioplastics have proven to be a viable substitute for plastics in some sectors, although their use in construction is still limited. The construction sector currently uses 23% of the world’s plastic production, both for the materials themselves and for their packaging and protection. A considerable part is not recycled and is dispersed into the environment or ends up in landfills. In response to the environmental problems caused by oil-based plastic pollution, the development of biocomposite materials such as bioplastics represents a paradigm shift. This entry aims to explain what bioplastics are, providing a classification and the description of the different properties and applications. It also lays out the most interesting uses of these materials in the construction field. 
  • 4.4K
  • 02 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Commercial Polymeric Membrane for Gas Separation
CO2 has been highly emitted to the environment, with the distribution of 25% being from electricity and heat production, 24% from agriculture, forestry, and other land usages, 21% by industry, 14% from transportation, 10% by other energies, and 6% from building. CO2 removal from natural gas is needed due to issues such as corrosion, catalyst poisoning and its effects on lowering the heating value of fuel. Several mass-transfer technologies can be used for this purpose, namely, membrane, absorption, adsorption and cryogenic. Membrane-based separation methods are more energy-efficient than heat-driven separations. Membrane-based separation uses 90% less energy than its distillation counterpart.
  • 4.4K
  • 12 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Excavation (Archaeology)
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is a site being studied. Such a site excavation concerns itself with a specific archaeological site or a connected series of sites, and may be conducted over as little as several weeks to over a number of years. Numerous specialized techniques with particular features are used. Resources and other practical issues do not allow archaeologists to carry out excavations whenever and wherever they choose. These constraints mean many known sites have been deliberately left unexcavated. This is with the intention of preserving them for future generations as well as recognising the role they serve in the communities that live near them. Excavation involves the recovery of several types of data from a site. These data include artifacts (objects made or modified by humans), features (modifications to the site itself such as post molds, burials, and hearths), ecofacts (evidence for the local environment and resources being used such as snail shells, seeds, and butchered bones) and, most importantly, archaeological context (relationships among the other types of data). Ideally, data from the excavation should suffice to reconstruct the site completely in three-dimensional space. The presence or absence of archaeological remains can often be suggested by remote sensing, such as ground-penetrating radar. Basic information about the development of the site may be drawn from this work but the understanding of finer features usually requires excavation though appropriate use of augering.
  • 4.4K
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
International Harvester Metro Van
International Harvester's Metro Van is a step van, also known as walk-in or multi-stop delivery truck. This vehicle type was one of the earlier, mass-produced forward control vehicles, once commonly used for milk or bakery delivery, as well as ambulance services, mobile offices, and radio transmitter vans. Typically, they were 1/2-, 3/4-, or 1-ton panel trucks that allowed the driver to stand or sit while driving the vehicle. Variations included a passenger bus called a Metro Coach, a Metro partial cab-chassis with front-end sections (for end-user customization), and a cab-over truck called a "walk-in cab". The truck (also called a chassis cab) variation could be configured with a separate box or container for cargo transport or left open to be fitted with other equipment such as a compactor for a garbage truck or a stake bed.
  • 4.4K
  • 05 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Runx2 and Osteoblasts
Runx2 is essential for osteoblast differentiation, chondrocyte maturation, and transdifferentiation of terminally differentiated chondrocytes into osteoblasts. During osteoblast differentiation, Runx2 is weakly expressed in uncommitted mesenchymal cells, and its expression is upregulated in preosteoblasts, reaches the maximal level in immature osteoblasts, and is down-regulated in mature osteoblasts. Runx2 enhances the proliferation of osteoblast progenitors by directly regulating Fgfr2 and Fgfr3. Runx2 enhances the proliferation of suture mesenchymal cells and induces their commitment into osteoblast lineage cells through the direct regulation of hedgehog (Ihh, Gli1, and Ptch1), Fgf (Fgfr2 and Fgfr3), Wnt (Tcf7, Wnt10b, and Wnt1), and Pthlh (Pthr1) signaling pathway genes, and Dlx5. Runx2 heterozygous mutation causes open fontanelle and sutures because more than half of the Runx2 gene dosage is required for the induction of these genes in suture mesenchymal cells. Runx2 induces the proliferation of osteoblast progenitors and their differentiation into osteoblasts through reciprocal regulation via major signaling pathways, including Fgf, hedgehog, Wnt, and Pthlh, and transcription factors, including Sp7 and Dlx5. Runx2 also regulates the expression of bone matrix protein genes, including Col1a1, Col1a2, Spp1, and Bglap/Bglap2. Bglap/Bglap2 (osteocalcin) aligns biological apatite parallel to the collagen fibrils, which is important for bone strength, but osteocalcin does not play a role as a hormone in the pancreas, testis, and muscle. 
  • 4.4K
  • 22 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Infrared Spectroscopy in Biological Studies
Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation with wavenumbers ranges of 12,500–10 cm−1. The IR region in the electromagnetic spectrum can be subdivided into three spectral regions, namely near-IR (NIR, 12,500–4000 cm−1), mid-IR (MIR, 4,000–400 cm−1), and far-IR (FIR, 400–10 cm−1). Accumulating evidence has shown that IR radiation has been widely investigated for biological studies and effects. The interaction between IR radiation and biomolecules enables to study the specific molecular vibrations of the sample constituents. IR spectroscopy, specifically MIR, has been used to investigate large numbers of biological samples such as cells, tissues, organ, and biofluids, providing qualitative and quantitative information that could be used for detection and classification. Notably, FTIR spectroscopy is considered a promising tool to study and analyze biological samples using MIR radiation. 
  • 4.4K
  • 09 Jan 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Marine Fungi: Opportunities and Challenges
Marine fungi play a crucial role in energy flow and nutrient recycling, mediating the cycling of dissolved organic matter in marine environments. However, despite being a prolific group of organisms, marine fungi have been largely neglected for a long time. Besides their importance in the marine food web, marine fungi represent an active source of natural products. Over the last years, researchers have focused on studying marine organisms to discover new metabolites with antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer activities. Moreover, with the advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies and mass spectrometry techniques, genomic and metabolomic approaches have revealed to be of paramount importance in natural products discovery. The marine mycobiome includes many organisms still to be identified, and the ones already known are still underutilized in biotechnological applications. For this reason, it is undeniable that exploring the marine mycobiome including new habitats and substrates, even those of remote access, is fundamental for describing the true magnitude of the Earth’s mycobiome.
  • 4.4K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse event of several first-line chemotherapeutic agents, including platinum compounds, taxanes, vinca alkaloids, thalidomide, and bortezomib, which negatively affects the quality of life and clinical outcome.
  • 4.4K
  • 22 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Centrifugal Fan
A centrifugal fan is a mechanical device for moving air or other gases in a direction at an angle to the incoming fluid. Centrifugal fans often contain a ducted housing to direct outgoing air in a specific direction or across a heat sink; such a fan is also called a blower, blower fan, biscuit blower, or squirrel-cage fan (because it looks like a hamster wheel). These fans increase the speed and volume of an air stream with the rotating impellers. Centrifugal fans use the kinetic energy of the impellers to increase the volume of the air stream, which in turn moves against the resistance caused by ducts, dampers and other components. Centrifugal fans displace air radially, changing the direction (typically by 90°) of the airflow. They are sturdy, quiet, reliable, and capable of operating over a wide range of conditions. Centrifugal fans are constant-displacement or constant-volume devices, meaning that, at a constant fan speed, a centrifugal fan moves a relatively constant volume of air rather than a constant mass. This means that the air velocity in a system is fixed even though the mass flow rate through the fan is not. Centrifugal fans are not positive-displacement devices and centrifugal fans have certain advantages and disadvantages when contrasted with positive-displacement blowers: centrifugal fans are more efficient, whereas positive-displacement blowers may have a lower capital cost. The centrifugal fan has a drum shape composed of a number of fan blades mounted around a hub. As shown in the animated figure, the hub turns on a driveshaft mounted in bearings in the fan housing. The gas enters from the side of the fan wheel, turns 90 degrees and accelerates due to centrifugal force as it flows over the fan blades and exits the fan housing.
  • 4.4K
  • 23 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Anatomy of the Rumen Affecting the Microbiome
The rumen is a complex organ that is critical for its host to convert low-quality feedstuffs into energy. The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to volatile fatty acids and other end products is primarily driven by the rumen microbiome and its interaction with the host. Importantly, the rumen is demarcated into five distinct rumen sacs as a result of anatomical structure, resulting in variable physiology among the sacs. 
  • 4.4K
  • 23 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer
Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (American English), Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (Commonwealth English), or carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP, or often simply carbon fiber, carbon composite, or even carbon), is an extremely strong and light fiber-reinforced plastic which contains carbon fibers. The spelling 'fibre' is typically used outside the US. CFRPs can be expensive to produce, but are commonly used wherever high strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness (rigidity) are required, such as aerospace, superstructures of ships, automotive, civil engineering, sports equipment, and an increasing number of consumer and technical applications. The binding polymer is often a thermoset resin such as epoxy, but other thermoset or thermoplastic polymers, such as polyester, vinyl ester, or nylon, are sometimes used. The composite material may contain aramid (e.g. Kevlar, Twaron), ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), aluminium, or glass fibers in addition to carbon fibers. The properties of the final CFRP product can also be affected by the type of additives introduced to the binding matrix (resin). The most common additive is silica, but other additives such as rubber and carbon nanotubes can be used. The material is also referred to as graphite-reinforced polymer or graphite fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP is less common, as it clashes with glass-(fiber)-reinforced polymer).
  • 4.4K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Ceramic Materials for Biomedical Applications
The word “biomaterial” refers to a substance or a mix of materials of synthetic or natural origin interacting with biological systems. The main purpose of biomaterials is to support the healing or replacement of an organ in a human body that has been altered by a disease or an accidental event and to successfully restore function and sometimes aesthetic features without endangering human life. Biomaterials can be classified according to their chemical nature as metallic, polymeric, ceramic, and composite, and can also be biologically derived. The term “ceramic” (from the Greek word κεραμικό: “keramikò,” which means “burnt stuff”), a word that is also found in ancient texts, indicates any heat-treated material derived from clayey raw materials through a process called firing. Generally speaking, ceramics are inorganic materials consisting of metallic and non-metallic components chemically bonded together by means of ionic or prevalently ionic bonds with a variable degree of covalent character. 
  • 4.4K
  • 07 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Single-Zone HVAC Systems
Single-zone HVAC systems are installed in most residential buildings, which implies regulating all the rooms of the house with a single thermostat and with static ventilation registers.
  • 4.4K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
A Certain Magical Index
A Certain Magical Index (Japanese: とある魔術の禁書目録 (インデックス), Hepburn: Toaru Majutsu no Indekkusu)[lower-alpha 1] is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Kiyotaka Haimura, which has been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint since April 2004. The plot is set in a world where supernatural abilities exist. The light novels focus on Toma Kamijo, a young high school student in Academy City who has an unusual ability, as he encounters an English nun named Index. His ability and relationship with Index proves dangerous to other sorcerers and Espers who want to discover the secrets behind him and Index, as well as the city. Yen Press have licensed the novels in North America. A manga adaptation by Chuya Kogino began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from May 2007. J.C.Staff produced two 24-episode anime series between 2008 and 2011. An animated film was released in February 2013. The anime adaptations are licensed in North America by Funimation. A 26-episode third season aired between 2018 and 2019, licensed by Funimation. The side-story manga series, A Certain Scientific Railgun, began serialization in Dengeki Daioh in February 2007. A second side-story manga series, A Certain Scientific Accelerator, began serialization in Dengeki Daioh in December 2013.
  • 4.4K
  • 19 Oct 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Benefits of Badminton for Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia
Badminton is one of the most popular racket sports played by all age groups worldwide. Anyone can practice and play badminton as a leisure or competitive sport, regardless of age, experience, or skill level. It does not require physical contact among players or expensive equipment. Compared with closed-skill exercises (e.g., running and swimming), open-skill exercises (e.g., badminton and table tennis) have been reported to significantly improve cognitive function and prevent cognitive decline. This mini review aimed to investigate the findings related to badminton intervention for cognitive function, with attention to the modifiable risk factors of dementia in adults. Additionally, we outlined the characteristics of badminton’s physical demands. This narrative review encompassed studies reported from 2013 to 2023 from multiple databases, including PubMed and Google Scholar. Keywords such as “badminton”, “dementia”, “cognitive function”, “physical activity”, and “depression” were used to identify relevant articles. Various studies, including randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case–control studies, were selected to provide a comprehensive overview of badminton intervention. Quantitative data analysis suggests that at a cognitive level, high-intensity badminton can enhance cognitive function with at least 10 min of play once weekly or 20 min of play once weekly on average, whereas moderate-intensity badminton can be effective when played for at least 30 min once weekly or 35 min twice weekly on average. For modifiable risk factors, recreational badminton for about 3 h weekly could effectively manage blood pressure. For body fat percentage and fasting serum glucose levels, recreational badminton for about 10 h weekly exerted positive effects. For depressive states, a moderate-intensity badminton program for 100 min weekly was effective. For lipid profiles associated with dementia occurrence, prolonged badminton intervention for more than 3 months may be beneficial. The characteristics presented here indicate that intervention with regular badminton exercise could effectively improve cognitive function and prevent cognitive decline in older adults.
  • 4.4K
  • 18 Jun 2024
Topic Review
Methanol
Methanol, an alcohol with an odor similar to that of ethanol, has been described to exist in low concentrations in the human organism and occurs naturally at a low level in most spirits, without conferring health risk if it exists within the legal limits. 
  • 4.4K
  • 20 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Mercury's Magnetic Field
Mercury's magnetic field is approximately a magnetic dipole (meaning the field has only two magnetic poles) apparently global, on planet Mercury. Data from Mariner 10 led to its discovery in 1974; the spacecraft measured the field's strength as 1.1% that of Earth's magnetic field. The origin of the magnetic field can be explained by dynamo theory. The magnetic field is strong enough near the bow shock to slow the solar wind, which induces a magnetosphere.
  • 4.4K
  • 15 Nov 2022
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