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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. 
  • 4.3K
  • 22 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Decarbonization in Shipping Industry
Decarbonization in Shipping Industry might be achieved through alternative fuels (nuclear, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol), renewable energy sources (biofuels, wind, solar), the maturity of technologies (fuel cells, internal combustion engines) as well as technical and operational strategies to reduce fuel consumption for new and existing ships (slow steaming, cleaning and coating, waste heat recovery, hull and propeller design).
  • 4.3K
  • 29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Up Series
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Television infoboxes disambiguation check' not found. The Up Series is a series of documentary films produced by Granada Television for ITV that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. So far the documentary has had eight episodes spanning 49 years (one episode every seven years) all of which were broadcast on ITV, apart from the 6th episode which was broadcast on BBC One. In a 2005 Channel 4 programme, the series topped the list of The 50 Greatest Documentaries. The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child's social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films material from those of the fourteen who choose to participate. The last installment, 56 Up, premiered in May 2012; Apted has stated that filming for 63 Up will occur in late 2018, for release in spring 2019. Apted has also been reported as saying: "I hope to do 84 Up when I'll be 99." The aim of the series is stated at the beginning of 7 Up as: "Why do we bring these children together? Because we want to get a glimpse of England in the year 2000. The shop steward and the executive of the year 2000 are now seven years old."
  • 4.3K
  • 14 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Ring Expansion and Ring Contraction
Ring expansion and ring contraction reactions in the course of organic synthesis refer to a set of reactions which can lead to the expansion or contraction of an existing ring. This often makes it possible to access structures that would be difficult if not impossible to synthesise with single cyclization reactions. Ring expansions are valuable because they allow access to larger systems that are difficult to synthesize through a single cyclization due to the slow rate of formation. Ring contractions are useful for making smaller, more strained rings from larger rings. Expansions are classified by the mechanism of expansion and the atom(s) added; contractions are characterized simply by the reactive intermediate which performs the contraction.
  • 4.3K
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Copper-Based Conductive Inks
Silver (Ag), gold (Au), and copper (Cu) have been utilized as metals for fabricating metal-based inks/pastes for printed/flexible electronics. Among them, Cu is the most promising candidate for metal-based inks/pastes. Cu has high intrinsic electrical/thermal conductivity, which is more cost-effective and abundant, as compared to Ag. Moreover, the migration tendency of Cu is less than that of Ag. Thus, recently, Cu-based inks/pastes have gained increasing attention as conductive inks/pastes for printed/flexible electronics. We can divide Cu-based inks/pastes into four categories from the viewpoints of Cu sources: (i) traditional micron-sized flake/powder type, (ii) nanoparticle type, (iii) nanowire type, and (iv) precursor ion type. However, the disadvantages of Cu-based inks/pastes are their instability against oxidation under an ambient condition and tendency to form insulating layers of Cu oxide, such as cuprous oxide (Cu2O) and cupric oxide (CuO). The formation of the Cu oxidation causes a low conductivity in sintered Cu films and interferes with the sintering of Cu particles. The surface and interface designs for Cu-based conductive inks/pastes are important strategies for the oxidation resistance of Cu and low-temperature sintering to produce highly conductive Cu patterns/electrodes on flexible substrates. The surface control approaches include surface designs by polymers, small ligands, core-shell structures, and surface activation. The Cu-based mixed inks/pastes offer improved performances compared with the single use of each component.
  • 4.3K
  • 07 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Generalizing the Local Average Treatment Effect
The local average treatment effect (LATE), also known as the complier average causal effect (CACE), refers to the treatment effect among compliers. The LATE may not be of the same value as the average treatment effect (ATE), so extrapolating the LATE directly should be done cautiously. In addition, the LATE retrieved from an experiment may not immediately be externally valid, especially when there is a case for treatment effect heterogeneity (i.e. the treatment effect varies across individuals).  However, generalizing the LATE through reweighting can be attempted, given certain key assumptions.
  • 4.3K
  • 30 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Sweat as a Biological Fluid of Alcohol Detection
The continued focus on improving the quality of human life has encouraged the development of increasingly efficient, durable, and cost-effective products in healthcare. Over the last decade, there has been substantial development in the field of technical and interactive textiles that combine expertise in electronics, biology, chemistry, and physics. Most recently, the creation of biosensors capable of quantifying biometric data in biological fluids to detect a specific disease or the physical condition of an individual is being studied. The ultimate goal is to provide access to medical diagnosis anytime and anywhere. Presently, alcohol is considered the most commonly used addictive substance worldwide, being one of the main causes of death in road accidents. 
  • 4.3K
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
Post-COVID-19 Symptoms and Dental Management
The available data regarding the short and long-term consequences of COVID-19 is still insufficient. This entry aims to provide information on the prolonged COVID-19 symptoms in recovered patients and their implications during dental management. 
  • 4.3K
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Platinum Group Minerals
Russia and South Africa are the world’s leading producers of platinum group elements (PGEs). This places them in a unique position regarding the supply of these two key industrial commodities. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative high-level overview of aspects of the geological occurrence, mineralogy, and processing by flotation of the platinum group minerals (PGMs) found in each country. A summary of some of the major challenges faced in each country in terms of the concentration of the ores by flotation is presented alongside the opportunities that exist to increase the production of the respective metals. These include the more efficient recovery of minerals such as arsenides and tellurides, the management of siliceous gangue and chromite in the processing of these ores, and, especially in Russia, the development of novel processing routes to recover PGEs from relatively low grade ores occurring in dunites, black shale ores and in vanadium-iron-titanium-sulphide oxide formations.
  • 4.3K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Solar Power
Solar power is the conversion of renewable energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic effect. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight to a hot spot, often to drive a steam turbine. Photovoltaics were initially solely used as a source of electricity for small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to remote homes powered by an off-grid rooftop PV system. Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s. Since then, as the cost of solar electricity has fallen, grid-connected solar PV systems have grown more or less exponentially. Millions of installations and gigawatt-scale photovoltaic power stations have been and are being built. Solar PV has rapidly become a viable low-carbon technology, and as of 2020, provides the cheapest source of electricity in history. As of 2021, solar generates 4% of the world's electricity, compared to 1% in 2015 when the Paris Agreement to limit climate change was signed. Along with onshore wind, the cheapest levelised cost of electricity is utility-scale solar. The International Energy Agency said in 2021 that under its "Net Zero by 2050" scenario solar power would contribute about 20% of worldwide energy consumption, and solar would be the world's largest source of electricity.
  • 4.3K
  • 20 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Immigrant Paradox
The immigrant paradox is that recent immigrants often outperform more established immigrants and non-immigrants on a number of health-, education-, and conduct- or crime-related outcomes, despite the numerous barriers they face to successful social integration. According to the UN, the number of first-generation immigrants worldwide is 244 million. These large-scale population changes worldwide have led many scholars, across fields, to study the acculturation and adjustment of immigrants to their new homes. Specifically, researchers have examined immigrant experiences as they pertain to educational attainment, mental and physical health, and conduct/crime. Researchers have tried to understand why later generations seem to perform less well than their forebears. They have found that it can be explained by non-optimal methodology and differences in the way generations are modified by the host culture.
  • 4.3K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Essential-thrombocythemia and Acquired von-Willebrand Syndrome
Over the past decade, new insights have emerged on the pathophysiology of essential thrombocythemia (ET), its clinical management, and associated thrombohemostatic disturbances. Here, we review the latest diagnostic and risk stratification modalities of ET and its therapeutics. Moreover, we discuss the clinical evidence-based benefits, deriving from major clinical trials, of using cytoreductive therapy and antiplatelet agents to lower the risk of fatal vascular events. Also, we focus on the condition of extreme thrombocytosis (>1000 × 109/L) and bleeding risk, the development and pathogenesis of acquired von Willebrand syndrome, and the clinical approach to this paradoxical scenario in ET.
  • 4.3K
  • 20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Hyperfiltration
Hyperfiltration is an important underlying cause of glomerular dysfunction associated with several systemic and intrinsic glomerular conditions leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD). These include obesity, diabetes, hypertension, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), congenital abnormalities and reduced renal mass (low nephron number). Hyperfiltration-associated biomechanical forces directly impact the cell membrane, generating tensile and fluid flow shear stresses in multiple segments of the nephron.
  • 4.3K
  • 01 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Criminal Psychology
Criminal psychology, also referred to as criminological psychology, is the study of the views, thoughts, intentions, actions and reactions of criminals and all who participate in criminal behavior. Criminal psychology is related to the field of criminal anthropology. The study goes deeply into what makes someone commit a crime, but also the reactions after the crime. Criminal psychologists have many roles within the court systems, these include being called up as witnesses in court cases to help the jury understand the mind of the criminal. Some types of psychiatry also deal with aspects of criminal behavior. Criminal behavior can be stated as “Any kind of antisocial behavior, which is punishable usually by law but can be punished by norms, stated by community,”. Therefore, it is difficult to define criminal behavior as there is a fine line between what could be considered okay and what's considered not to be, being considered as violation at one point of time may now be accepted by community. This article will look at the different roles of a criminal psychologist, key aspects of criminals, and major studies that contributed to criminal psychology.
  • 4.3K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Elongational Flow
Elongational flow is a particular kind of flow involved in many industrially relevant processing operations of thermoplastics (such as fiber spinning, film blowing, foaming and thermoforming) in which the velocity gradient develops in the same direction as the flow itself.
  • 4.3K
  • 26 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Cell Lysis
Cell lysis is the first step of sample preparation for nucleic acid (NA) detection. Its purpose is to release NAs from the cells by disrupting the structure of cell membranes, which are also known as phospholipid bilayer membranes or plasmalemma. As NA detection typically relies on amplification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or isothermal alternatives, carry-over of inhibitory agents including the reagents used for lysis needs to be avoided or minimised. While washing steps are easily implemented in a laboratory setting, for Point of Need testing, the trend is towards substitution of strong inhibitory lytic reagents for more benign alternatives to minimise processing steps and reagent use. Additionally, sustainability of the reagents and their disposal are growing concerns. Here, an overview of lysis methods is provided from the perspective of their suitability for for point of need testing.
  • 4.3K
  • 16 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Gendered Citizenship, Inequality, and Well-Being in Qatar
The impact of gendered citizenship on the well-being of cross-national families following the political blockade imposed on Qatar in 2017. More specifically, it examines how these families, women, and children face challenges related to their lives, well-being, and rights. Twenty-three face-to-face interviews were conducted with Qatari and non-Qatari women and men married to non-Qatari spouses residing in Qatar. 
  • 4.3K
  • 15 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Universe & Anharmonic Oscillator & Singularity Avoidance Higgs
The functioning of our universe and atomic is based on the oscillation of the particle itself and asymmetrically between matter and antimatter. This mechanism is a classical an-harmonic oscillator and uses a linear oscillation of the particle, where the energy can be represented by the graph of a potential well. In this potential well the alternation of energies ocurs between the kinetic energy and potential energy. This an-harmonic oscillation of the particle thus occurs through a gravitational oscillator (see "hole through the Earth simple harmonic motion"), followed by a singularity avoidance. Indeed the important kinetics of the particle leads to a singularity avoidance to pass over the supermassive black hole to plot the Higgs field/potential. The alternation of the particle at very high frequency generates by the principle of mass-energy equivalence in vacuum (E=mc²) a mass flux expressed by the quantum fluctuation determined by a scalar energy density. This scalar density represents for example the dark matter and the residues of the latter in the quantum vacuum. However a vectorial interpretation of the particle is possible as soon as its oscillation through the oscillator is really minimized before becoming a mass-energy equivalence flux. That represent the elements related to Einstein's Stress Energy Tensor. Here is the one of interpretation of quantum mechanics in relation to relativistic physics. 
  • 4.3K
  • 23 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Euronext
Euronext is a European stock exchange seated in Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Lisbon, Dublin and Paris. In addition to cash and derivatives markets, the Euronext group provides listing market data, market solutions, custody and settlement services. Its total product offering includes equities, exchange-traded funds, warrants and certificates, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices as well as FX platform. In 2018, Euronext is the largest in continental Europe with 1,300 issuers representing a €3.8 trillion market capitalization. Euronext merged with NYSE Group, Inc. on April 4, 2007 to form NYSE Euronext (NYX). On November 13, 2013 Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), completed acquisition of NYSE Euronext. In June 2014 Euronext completed an initial public offering making it a standalone company again.
  • 4.3K
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Blockchain
This entry provides an overview of the application of blockchain technologies for enabling traceability in the agri-food domain. It presents relevant definitions and the various types of blockchain solutions used in "farm to fork" traceability, including public vs private blockchain networks, consensus protocols and smart contracts.
  • 4.3K
  • 10 Jul 2020
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