Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Short-Term Memory
Short-term memory (or "primary" or "active memory") is the capacity for holding, but not manipulating, a small amount of information in mind in an active, readily available state for a short period of time. For example, short-term memory can be used to remember a phone number that has just been recited. The duration of short-term memory (when rehearsal or active maintenance is prevented) is believed to be in the order of seconds. A commonly cited capacity of items to remember is The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two (also called Miller's Law, despite Miller calling the figure "little more than a joke" (Miller, 1989, page 401)). Cowan (2001) suggests that a more realistic figure is 4±1 items. In contrast, long-term memory holds information indefinitely. Short-term memory should be distinguished from working memory, which refers to structures and processes used for temporarily storing and manipulating information (see details below).
  • 3.6K
  • 12 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Mono
Mono is a free and open-source project to create an Ecma standard-compliant .NET Framework-compatible software framework, including a C# compiler and a Common Language Runtime. Originally by Ximian, it was later acquired by Novell, and is now being led by Xamarin, a subsidiary of Microsoft and the .NET Foundation. The stated purpose of Mono is not only to be able to run Microsoft .NET applications cross-platform, but also to bring better development tools to Linux developers. Mono can be run on many software systems including Android, most Linux distributions, BSD, macOS, Windows, Solaris, and even some game consoles such as PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. The Mono project has been controversial within the open-source community, as it implements portions of .NET Framework that may be covered by Microsoft patents. Although standardized portions of .NET Framework are covered under Microsoft Open Specification Promise—a covenant stating that Microsoft will not assert its patents against implementations of its specifications under certain conditions—other portions are not, which led to concerns that the Mono project could become the target of patent infringement lawsuits. Following Microsoft's open-sourcing of several core .NET technologies since 2014 and its acquisition of Xamarin in the beginning of 2016, an updated patent promise has been issued for the Mono project (§ Mono and Microsoft's patents). The logo of Mono is a stylized monkey's face, mono being Spanish for monkey.
  • 3.6K
  • 24 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Global Trends in Halal Food Standards
The demand for ethical foods is rising, with halal foods playing a significant role in this trend. However, halal standards vary globally, which can have substantial implications. Multiple Halal Certification Bodies (HCBs) can approve food products but they often prioritize national regulations over international alignment.
  • 3.6K
  • 29 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Polymeric Surfactants
Polymeric surfactants are surfactant molecules that have a polymeric backbone, which can be made up of various repeating units. These surfactants have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments, which allows them to interact with both water and oil. Polymeric surfactants are used in a variety of industrial applications, such as in the production of paints, adhesives, and coatings. They can improve the stability and performance of these products by reducing the surface tension and promoting the dispersion of pigments and fillers. In addition, polymeric surfactants are also used in the formulation of personal care products, such as shampoos, conditioners, and body washes. They can help to improve the texture and feel of these products, as well as enhance their cleaning and conditioning properties. One of the key advantages of polymeric surfactants is their ability to form stable micelles in solution. These micelles are aggregates of surfactant molecules that form a spherical structure with the hydrophobic segments on the inside and the hydrophilic segments on the outside. This allows for efficient emulsification of oil and water, which is important in a variety of industrial processes. Polymeric surfactants are a versatile class of surfactants that offer several unique properties and advantages in various applications. They are commonly used as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickening agents, and have potential applications in areas such as agriculture, oil and gas, and papermaking. Polymeric surfactants are a diverse class of surfactants that can be classified based on their composition, molecular weight, and degree of polymerization. They offer a range of unique properties and advantages in various applications, including cosmetics, food and beverage products, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.
  • 3.6K
  • 24 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Digitalization of the Restaurant Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the restaurant industry. Temporary shutdowns and seating capacity restrictions led to a sharp drop in sales. In this scenario, digitalization emerged as a crucial strategy for business survival, offering opportunities to increase restaurants’ competitiveness and revenues. 
  • 3.6K
  • 30 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Water Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation, the usage of plants to remove contaminants, is a technology that has been widely used to remediate pollution in soils, with particular reference to toxic elements. 
  • 3.6K
  • 21 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Citrulline and Quercetin on Gut Microbiota
The importance of gut health in animal welfare and wellbeing is undisputable. The intestinal microbiota plays an essential role in the metabolic, nutritional, physiological, and immunological processes of animals. Therefore, the rapid development of dietary supplements to improve gut functions and homeostasis is imminent. 
  • 3.6K
  • 15 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Effective Self-Management in Chronic Kidney Disease?
The role of self-management is gaining increasing attention in the management of long-term conditions, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Self-management refers to the means by which people take an active role in their healthcare. In the UK, supported self-management is part of the National Health Service’s (NHS’s) commitment to make personalised care the norm. This emphasises the need to encourage, support and empower people to manage their ongoing health themselves In order for an individual to be able to look after their health and effectively manage their long-term condition, they need to have the knowledge to understand what to do and why, the skills to be able to perform the required tasks or behaviours, and the confidence that they can do it—this has been termed patient activation.
  • 3.6K
  • 10 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Silver Nanoparticles for Chronic Wound Management
Infections are the primary cause of death from burns and diabetic wounds. The clinical difficulty of treating wound infections with conventional antibiotics has progressively increased and reached a critical level, necessitating a paradigm change for enhanced chronic wound care. The most prevalent bacterium linked with these infections is Staphylococcus aureus, and the advent of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has posed a substantial therapeutic challenge. Most existing wound dressings are ineffective and suffer from constraints such as insufficient antibacterial activity, toxicity, failure to supply enough moisture to the wound, and poor mechanical performance. Using ineffective wound dressings might prolong the healing process of a wound. To meet this requirement, nanoscale scaffolds with their desirable qualities, which include the potential to distribute bioactive agents, a large surface area, enhanced mechanical capabilities, the ability to imitate the extracellular matrix (ECM), and high porosity, have attracted considerable interest. The incorporation of nanoparticles into nanofiber scaffolds constitutes a novel approach to “nanoparticle dressing” that has acquired significant popularity for wound healing. Due to their remarkable antibacterial capabilities, silver nanoparticles are attractive materials for wound healing. 
  • 3.6K
  • 22 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Opportunity Assessment: Considerations for Entrepreneurs
Defining entrepreneurship can be problematic and maybe sometimes misleading. For example, the assertion that entrepreneurship is concerned with the discovery and exploitation of profitable opportunities does not appear to take account of the notion of risk, which because of uncertainty is always inherent in new market decisions. This is borne out by reality, where evidence indicates that a large percentage of start-ups (often thought to be between 50% and 70%) fail within the first 5 years. This fact, coupled with research suggesting that idea generation, by itself, is not an issue, implies that the key challenge lies in the effective evaluation of those ideas. This means that entrepreneurs must be honest with themselves and objectively assess whether they have identified a viable business opportunity, as distinct from a good idea with limited or no commercial prospects. This is particularly important for technology entrepreneurs as the lead time to market is often long and the risk of failure is high. Central therefore to the resulting opportunity confidence leading to adoption or rejection of an idea is an iterative process of evaluation, which in the first instance is critical in nascent entrepreneurial processes. Three key constructs—opportunity costs, market assessment and financial analysis—are of singular importance in the evaluation process and are discussed in more detail below. 
  • 3.6K
  • 07 Jan 2022
Topic Review
GeForce 7 Series
The GeForce 7 series is the seventh generation of Nvidia's GeForce graphics processing units. This was the last series available on AGP cards. A slightly modified GeForce 7-based card (more specifically based on the 7800GTX) is present as the RSX Reality Synthesizer, which is present on the PlayStation 3.
  • 3.6K
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Polyethylene Composites
Polyethylene (PE) is one the most used plastics worldwide for a wide range of applications due to its good mechanical and chemical resistance, low density, cost efficiency, ease of processability, non-reactivity, low toxicity, good electric insulation, and good functionality.
  • 3.6K
  • 10 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Pharmacological Activities of Hovenia dulcis Extracts
Hovenia dulcis Thunberg is an herbal plant, belonging to the Rhamnaceae family, widespread in west Asia, USA, Australia and New Zealand, but still almost unknown in Western countries. H. dulcis has been described to possess several pharmacological properties, such as antidiabetic, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective, especially in the hangover treatment, validating its use as an herbal remedy in the Chinese Traditional Medicine. The biological activities of H. dulcis crude extracts and secondary metabolites isolated from them highlighted promising pharmacological effects in vitro and in vivo.
  • 3.6K
  • 20 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Leela Chess Zero
Leela Chess Zero (abbreviated as LCZero, lc0) is a free, open-source, and deep neural network–based chess engine and distributed computing project. Development has been spearheaded by programmer Gary Linscott, who is also a developer for the Stockfish chess engine. Leela Chess Zero was adapted from the Leela Zero Go engine, which in turn was based on Google's AlphaGo Zero project. One of the purposes of Leela Chess Zero was to verify the methods in the AlphaZero paper as applied to the game of chess. Like Leela Zero and AlphaGo Zero, Leela Chess Zero starts with no intrinsic chess-specific knowledge other than the basic rules of the game. Leela Chess Zero then learns how to play chess by reinforcement learning from repeated self-play, using a distributed computing network coordinated at the Leela Chess Zero website. (As of January 2022), Leela Chess Zero has played over 500 million games against itself, playing around 1 million games every day, and is capable of play at a level that is comparable with Stockfish, the leading conventional chess program.
  • 3.6K
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Venice Charter
The Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites is a set of guidelines, drawn up in 1964 by a group of conservation professionals in Venice, that provides an international framework for the conservation and restoration of historic buildings. However, the document is now seen as outdated, representing Modernist views opposed to reconstruction. Reconstruction is now cautiously accepted by UNESCO in exceptional circumstances if it seeks to reflect a pattern of use or cultural practice that sustains cultural value, and is based on complete documentation without reliance on conjecture. The change in attitude can be marked by the reconstruction in 2015 of the Sufi mausoleums at the Timbuktu World Heritage Site in Mali after their destruction in 2012.
  • 3.6K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Inclusion and Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have the same right to participate in the general education curriculum as their typically developing peers. Inclusion is the belief that all individuals with diverse needs may participate in society.  In schools, inclusion implies acceptance of differences and access to the the general education curriculum and environmnet. Students with more severe cognitive disabilities and daily living skill needs called intellectual disabilities (ID) can be successful in the inclusive classroom with appropriate supports and services.  For individuals with ID in general education classrooms, inclusion in the general education setting is critical to their long-term participation in the community, improved academic and behavioral performance, and has been associated with positive health and well-being.
  • 3.6K
  • 20 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Tongue and Systemic Connections Microbiota
The tongue is able to quickly reflect the state of health or disease of the human body. Tongue inspection is an important diagnostic approach. It is a unique method that allows to explore the pathogenesis of diseases based on the guiding principles of the holistic concept that involves the observation of changes in the lining of the tongue in order to understand the physiological functions and pathological changes of the body. It is a potential method of screening and early detection of cancer.
  • 3.6K
  • 07 Jul 2021
Topic Review
'Phags-Pa Script
The ‘Phags-pa script (Mongolian: дөрвөлжин үсэг "Square script") is an alphabet designed by the Tibetan monk and State Preceptor (later Imperial Preceptor) Drogön Chögyal Phagpa for Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, as a unified script for the written languages within the Yuan. The actual use of this script was limited to about a hundred years during the Mongol Yuan dynasty, and it fell out of use with the advent of the Ming dynasty. The documentation of its use provides clues about the changes in the varieties of Chinese, the Tibetic languages, Mongolian and other neighboring languages during the Yuan era.
  • 3.6K
  • 09 Nov 2022
Biography
Max Tegmark
Max Erik Tegmark[1] (born 5 May 1967) is a Swedish-American physicist, cosmologist and machine learning researcher. He is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the scientific director of the Foundational Questions Institute. He is also a co-founder of the Future of Life Institute and a supporter of the effective altruism movement, and has received research grants from Elon
  • 3.6K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Episcleritis and Scleritis
Episcleritis and scleritis are the most common ocular inflammatory manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis.
  • 3.6K
  • 07 Jun 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 2794
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback

Quick Survey

Encyclopedia MDPI is conducting a targeted survey to identify the specific barriers hindering efficient research. We invite you to spend 3 minutes defining the priorities for our next generation of structured knowledge tools.
Take Survey