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Topic Review
Fungal Pigments
Fungi can produce a large diversity of pigments. Based on their chemical structures, fungal pigments are broadly grouped into carotenoids, melanin, polyketides, and azaphilones etc. These pigments differ in many aspects, including colouration and physical and chemical properties such as molecular size, structure, hydrophobicity, reactivity and biological roles. While the same fungus may be able to produce different pigments, structurally similar pigments can be produced by fungi in evolutionarily divergent lineages. Some of these pigments play positive roles in human welfare, including vitamin precursors, antibiotics, immunomodulators and colourants. However, when present in human fungal pathogens, these pigments can also enhance the virulence and pathogenicity of these organisms. While significant progresses have been made for understanding fungal pigments, much remains unknown, including the structure-function relationships and the genes and metabolic pathways involved in their synthesis for the majority of fungal pigments.
  • 3.6K
  • 25 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Polylactic Acid and Its Synthesis
Biomaterials are natural or engineered substances that interact with components of living systems that can be exploited for a medical purpose, either as therapeutic or diagnostic agents.  Poly-(lactic Acid) (PLA) is a compostable polymer derived from corn sugar, potato, and sugar cane whose promising physicochemical properties are comparable to those of petroleum-based polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polyethylene terephthalate. PLA is a semicrystalline polymer that hydrolyses in physiological media, yielding lactic acid, a non-toxic component that is eliminated via the Krebs cycle as water and carbon dioxide. The biocompatibility, biodegradability, and resorbability characteristics of PLA have promoted its use in the biomedical field for a wide range of applications (suture threads, bone fixation screws, drug delivery systems, etc.), offering an alternative to conventional biocompatible materials such as metals and ceramics.
  • 3.6K
  • 30 Sep 2022
Topic Review
KPI Selection for Tooling and Die Industry
In the last few decades, the fast technological development has caused high competitiveness among companies, encouraging a pursuit for strategies that allow them to gain competitive advantage, such as the monitoring of performance by using key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • 3.6K
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Myrica esculenta
Myrica esculenta (Myricaceae) is a popular medicinal plant most commonly found in the sub-tropical Himalayas. It is widely used in folk medicine to treat several ailments such as asthma, cough, chronic bronchitis, ulcers, inflammation, anemia, fever, diarrhea, and ear, nose, and throat disorders. Due to its multidimensional pharmacological and therapeutic effects, it is well recognized in the ayurvedic pharmacopeia.
  • 3.6K
  • 11 Mar 2025
Topic Review
Nimbarka Sampradaya
The Nimbarka Sampradaya (IAST: Nimbārka Sampradāya, Sanskrit निम्बार्क सम्प्रदाय), also known as the Hamsa Sampradāya, Kumāra Sampradāya, Catuḥ Sana Sampradāya and Sanakādi Sampradāya, is one of the four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas. It was founded by Nimbarka (c.7th century CE), and teaches the Vaishnava theology of Dvaitadvaita (dvaita-advaita) or "dualistic non-dualism." Dvaitadvaita states that humans are both different and non-different from Isvara, God or Supreme Being, and is also known as Bhedābheda (bheda-abheda) philosophy.
  • 3.6K
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Gastrointestinal Disorders and Metabolic Syndrome
Abstract Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, which include gastrointestinal reflux disease, gastric ulceration, inflammatory bowel disease, and other functional GI disorders, have become prevalent in a large part of the world population. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is cluster of disorders including obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, and is associated with high rate of morbidity and mortality. Gut dysbiosis is one of the contributing factors to the pathogenesis of both GI disorder and MS, and restoration of normal flora can provide a potential protective approach in both these conditions. Bioactive dietary components are known to play a significant role in the maintenance of health and wellness, as they have the potential to modify risk factors for a large number of serious disorders. Different classes of functional dietary components, such as dietary fibers, probiotics, prebiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, and spices, possess positive impacts on human health and can be useful as alternative treatments for GI disorders and metabolic dysregulation, as they can modify the risk factors associated with these pathologies. Their regular intake in sufficient amounts also aids in the restoration of normal intestinal flora, resulting in positive regulation of insulin signaling, metabolic pathways and immune responses, and reduction of low-grade chronic inflammation. This review is designed to focus on the health benefits of bioactive dietary components, with the aim of preventing the development or halting the progression of GI disorders and MS through an improvement of the most important risk factors including gut dysbiosis.
  • 3.6K
  • 22 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Civic Technology
Civic technology, or civic tech, enhances the relationship between the people and government with software for communications, decision-making, service delivery, and political process. It includes information and communications technology supporting government with software built by community-led teams of volunteers, nonprofits, consultants, and private companies as well as embedded tech teams working within government.
  • 3.6K
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Mannequin Challenge
File:Mannequin challenge JU Engineers.webm The Mannequin Challenge was a viral Internet video trend which became popular in November 2016, in which people remain frozen in action like mannequins while a moving camera films them, often with the song "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd playing in the background. The hashtag #MannequinChallenge was used for popular social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. It is believed that the phenomenon was started by students at a high school in Jacksonville, Florida. The initial posting has inspired works by other groups, especially professional athletes and sports teams, who have posted increasingly complex and elaborate videos. News outlets have compared the videos to bullet time scenes from science fiction films such as The Matrix, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Lost in Space or Buffalo '66. Meanwhile, the participatory nature of the challenge on social media makes it similar to memes such as Makankosappo or the Harlem Shake. Others have noted similarities with the HBO TV series Westworld, which debuted around the same time, where robotic hosts can be stopped in their tracks.
  • 3.6K
  • 11 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) stands as one of the most majestic and iconic big cat species, native to the Indian subcontinent. Renowned for its striking orange coat adorned with characteristic black stripes, the Bengal Tiger commands reverence and admiration as the largest tiger subspecies. As a symbol of strength and beauty, the Bengal Tiger plays a vital role in both cultural heritage and conservation efforts aimed at protecting its dwindling populations and vanishing habitats.
  • 3.6K
  • 28 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Wicked Problems
Wicked problem thinking is regaining interest in different disciplines, mostly because of the complex and interdependent contemporary issues that are particularly challenging for policy makers. This type of problems is difficult, even impossible to tackle by defining optimal solutions because of both deep uncertainty and high complexity. The causes and effects of wicked problems are cross-scale and multi-level; they are extremely difficult to identify due to the system dynamics and non-linear interactions. Thus, most of these problems are symptoms of or related to other problems. Moreover, wicked problems are poorly formulated and boundary-spanning issues where involved stakeholders bring different perspectives to the definitions and potential resolution of the issue. Indeed, the wicked nature stems from biophysical and social complexity, where divergent values related to multi-stakeholders’ perceptions and interests influence largely the problem-solving and determining desirable outcomes.
  • 3.6K
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Propylene Synthesis
Propylene is one of the most important feedstocks in the chemical industry, as it is used in the production of widely diffused materials such as polypropylene. Conventionally, propylene is obtained by cracking petroleum-derived naphtha and is a by-product of ethylene production. To ensure adequate propylene production, an alternative is needed, and propane dehydrogenation is considered the most interesting process.
  • 3.6K
  • 25 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Burnin' Rubber (Series)
Burnin' Rubber is a series of vehicular combat racing video games developed by Xform and published by various companies. The series has appeared on AirConsole, Android, Browser, IOS, and Microsoft Windows. The gameplay mainly focuses on the player having to beat a set of challenges ranging from races, boss battles, and time trials. Players can gain various pickups and collectables placed throughout tracks to aid them in the event and unlock new content. The series previous used Adobe Director and Adobe Shockwave Player for its games and has since migrated to Unity. Burnin' Rubber 3 was the first game in the series to introduce the addition of weapons in which the player can add to their vehicles which would become one of the game's main element moving forward. Excluding Burnin' Rubber (2007), the vehicles can receive damage or explode once critical damage levels has been surpassed. The series takes some inspiration from the Burnout series.
  • 3.6K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Molten Salt Reactor
A molten salt reactor (MSR) is a class of nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant and/or the fuel is a molten salt mixture. Only two MSRs have ever operated, both research reactors in the United States . The 1950's Aircraft Reactor Experiment was primarily motivated by the compact size that the technique offers, while the 1960's Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment aimed to prove the concept of a nuclear power plant which implements a thorium fuel cycle in a breeder reactor. Increased research into Generation IV reactor designs began to renew interest in the technology, with multiple nations having projects and, as of September 2021, China is on the verge of starting its TMSR-LF1 thorium MSR. MSRs are considered safer than conventional reactors because they operate with fuel already in a molten state, and in event of an emergency, the fuel mixture is designed to drain from the core where it will solidify, preventing the type of nuclear meltdown and associated hydrogen explosions (like what happened in the Fukushima nuclear disaster) that are at risk in conventional (solid-fuel) reactors. They operate at or close to atmospheric pressure, rather than the 75-150 times atmospheric pressure of a typical light-water reactor (LWR), hence reducing the need for large, expensive reactor pressure vessels used in LWRs. Another characteristic of MSRs is that the radioactive fission gases produced are absorbed into the molten salt, as opposed to conventional reactors where the fuel rod tubes must contain the gas. MSR's can also be refueled while operating (essentially online-nuclear reprocessing) while conventional reactors must be shut down for refueling (Heavy water reactors like the CANDU or the Atucha-class PHWRs being a notable exception). A further key characteristic of MSRs is operating temperatures of around 700 °C (1,292 °F), significantly higher than traditional LWRs at around 300 °C (572 °F), providing greater electricity-generation efficiency, the possibility of grid-storage facilities, economical hydrogen production, and, in some cases, process-heat opportunities. Relevant design challenges include the corrosivity of hot salts and the changing chemical composition of the salt as it is transmuted by the neutron flux in the reactor core. MSRs offer multiple advantages over conventional nuclear power plants, although for historical reasons they have not been deployed.
  • 3.6K
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Camel husbandry
Minor species such as camels are lacking for transactional agreements between applied research and regulatory agencies in regards of animal welfare. Given these species being progressively recognized as sustainable livestock even under extreme environmental conditions, camel international science has brought about valuable academic efforts towards its functional revalorization but not updated policy reforms. By means of bibliometrics analysis, camel science upturn and its academic and societal impacts were evaluated to highlight the potential promoting factors for camel research advances and specific parallel law enforcing. Historical camel referring documents that were indexed in ScienceDirect directory from 1880-2019 were considered. Camel as a species did not affect research impact (p > 0.05) despite the journal, author number, corresponding author origin, discipline and publication year affecting it (p < 0.001). However, camel welfare-related laws remain scarcely available. In this framework, research advances must play a cardinal role in influencing business stakeholders and animal welfare advocacies to promote sustainable camel husbandry practices through science-based law enforcement in this emerging industry on a global scale.
  • 3.6K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Corporate Social Responsibility
Amidst a contemporary culture of climate awareness, unprecedented levels of transparency and visibility are dictating industrial organizations to broaden their value chains and deepen the impacts of CSR initiatives. While it may be common knowledge that the 2030 agenda cannot be achieved on a business-as-usual trajectory, this study seeks to determine to what ends the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have impacted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research. Highlighting linkages and interdependencies between the SDGs and evolution of CSR practice, this paper analyzes a final sample of 56 relevant journal articles between 2015-2020. With the intent to bridge policy and practice, thematic coding analysis supported the identification and interpretation of key emergent research themes. Using three descriptive categorical classifications (i.e. single-dimension, bi-combination of dimensions, sustainability dimension), the results of this paper provide an in-depth discussion into strategic community, company, consumer, investor, and employee foci. Also, the analysis provides a timely and descriptive overview of how CSR research has approached the SDGs and which are being prioritized. By deepening the understanding of potential synergies between business strategy, global climate agendas, and the common good, this paper contributes to an increased comprehension of how CSR and financial performance can be improved over the long-term.
  • 3.6K
  • 09 Jan 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
The Increase in Addiction during COVID-19
The increase in addiction during COVID-19 is a condition that emerged as an aftermath of COVID-19-related events, for instance, fear of the spread of COVID-19, self-abstention from many activities, and restrictions established by the lockdown measures. This condition includes substance addictions such as drugs and alcohol but also behavioral addictions such as gambling, gaming, pornography, and smartphone and internet misuse.
  • 3.6K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Jet (Gemstone)
Jet is a type of lignite, the lowest rank of coal, and is a gemstone. Unlike many gemstones, jet is not a mineral, but is rather a mineraloid. It is derived from wood that has changed under extreme pressure. The English noun jet derives from the French word for the same material, jaiet (modern French jais), ultimately referring to the ancient town of Gagae. Jet is either black or dark brown, but may contain pyrite inclusions which are of brassy colour and metallic lustre. The adjective "jet-black", meaning as dark a black as possible, derives from this material.
  • 3.6K
  • 27 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Fresh Fish Preservation
Fresh fish is a highly perishable food characterized by a short shelf-life, and for this reason, it must be properly handled and stored to slow down its deterioration and to ensure microbial safety and marketable shelf-life. Modern consumers seek fresh-like, minimally processed foods due to the raising concerns regarding the use of preservatives in foods, as is the case of fresh fish. Given this, emergent preservation techniques are being evaluated as a complement or even replacement of conventional preservation methodologies, to assure food safety and extend shelf-life without compromising food safety.
  • 3.6K
  • 05 May 2021
Topic Review
QuEChERS Application to the Determination of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
The identification of concerning high levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in a wide variety of food products has raised the occurrence of these natural toxins as one of the main current issues of the food safety field. Consequently, a regulation with maximum concentration levels of these alkaloids has been published to monitor their occurrence in several foodstuffs. According to legislation, the analytical methodologies developed for their determination must include multiresidue extractions with high selectivity and sensitivity, as a set of 21 + 14 PAs should be simultaneously monitored. However, the multiresidue extraction of these alkaloids is a difficult task due to the high complexity of food and feed samples. Accordingly, although solid-phase extraction is still the technique most widely used for sample preparation, the QuEChERS method can be a suitable alternative for the simultaneous determination of multiple analytes, providing green extraction and clean-up of samples in a quick and cost-effective way.
  • 3.6K
  • 12 May 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
COVID-19 and Bell’s Palsy
There are various neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recent data suggest a connection between hemifacial paralysis, or Bell’s palsy, and COVID-19. Although the etiology of Bell’s palsy is unknown, the leading proposed etiology is viral in nature. Since the onset of the pandemic, numerous studies have investigated the relationship between Bell’s palsy, COVID-19 infection, and COVID-19 vaccination. The researchers studied the current literature on the topic of COVID-19 as it relates to Bell’s palsy. 
  • 3.6K
  • 13 Dec 2022
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