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Topic Review
Asterism
An asterism is an observed pattern or group of stars in the sky. Asterisms can be any identified pattern or group of stars, and therefore are a more general concept than the formally defined 88 constellations. Constellations are based on asterisms, but unlike asterisms, constellations outline and today completely divide the sky and all its celestial objects into regions around their central asterisms. For example, the asterism known as the Big Dipper comprises the seven brightest stars in the constellation Ursa Major. Another is the asterism of the Southern Cross, within the constellation of Crux. Asterisms range from simple shapes of just a few stars to more complex collections of many stars covering large portions of the sky. The stars themselves may be bright naked-eye objects or fainter, even telescopic, but they are generally all of a similar brightness to each other. The larger brighter asterisms are useful for people who are familiarizing themselves with the night sky. The patterns of stars seen in asterisms are not necessarily a product of any physical association between the stars, but are rather the result of the particular perspectives of their observations. For example the Summer Triangle is a purely observational physically unrelated group of stars, but the stars of Orion's Belt are all members of the Orion OB1 association and five of the seven stars of the Big Dipper are members of the Ursa Major Moving Group. Physical associations, such as the Hyades or Pleiades, can be asterisms in their own right and part of other asterism at the same time.
  • 3.1K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Retinoblastoma Proteins
The Retinoblastoma protein (pRb) is a key cell cycle regulator conserved in a wide variety of organisms. Experimental analysis of pRb’s functions in animals and plants has revealed that this protein participates in cell proliferation and differentiation processes. In addition, pRb in animals and its orthologs in plants (RBR), are part of highly conserved protein complexes which suggest the possibility that analogies exist not only between functions carried out by pRb orthologs themselves, but also in the structure and roles of the protein networks where these proteins are involved.
  • 3.1K
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Ganoderma lucidum
Ganoderma lucidum has a long history of medicinal uses in the Far East countries of more than 2000 years due to its healing properties. Recently, G. lucidum has come under scientific scrutiny to evaluate its content of bioactive components that affect human physiology and has been exploited for potent components in the pharmacology, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics industries. For instance, evidence is accumulating on the potential of this mushroom species as a promising antiviral medicine for treating many viral diseases, such as dengue virus, enterovirus 71, and recently coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Still, more research studies on the biotherapeutic components of G. lucidum are needed to ensure the safety and efficiency of G. lucidum and promote the development of commercial functional foods.
  • 3.1K
  • 11 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Type I Collagen
Type I collagen, the predominant protein of vertebrates, assembles into fibrils that orchestrate the form and function of bone, tendon, skin, and other tissues. Collagen plays roles in hemostasis, wound healing, angiogenesis, and biomineralization, and its dysfunction contributes to fibrosis, atherosclerosis, cancer metastasis, and brittle bone disease.
  • 3.1K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Outlier Detection
Outlier detection is a statistical procedure that aims to find suspicious events or items that are different from the normal form of a dataset. It has drawn considerable interest in the field of data mining and machine learning. Outlier detection is important in many applications, including fraud detection in credit card transactions and network intrusion detection. There are two general types of outlier detection: global and local. Global outliers fall outside the normal range for an entire dataset, whereas local outliers may fall within the normal range for the entire dataset, but outside the normal range for the surrounding data points. 
  • 3.1K
  • 07 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Civil Marriage Act
The Civil Marriage Act (full title: An Act respecting certain aspects of legal capacity for marriage for civil purposes) (the Act) was legislation legalizing same-sex marriage across Canada. At the time the bill became law, same-sex marriage had already been legalized by court decisions in all Canadian provinces except Alberta and Prince Edward Island, as well as in the territories of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. It was introduced as Bill C-38 in the first session of the 38th Parliament of Canada on February 1, 2005. It passed the House of Commons on June 28, 2005, and the Senate on July 19, 2005. The Act became law when it received Royal Assent on July 20, 2005. As with all federal legislation in Canada, the Act is written in both French and English, with equal force. The French title is Loi sur le mariage civil, or in full, Loi concernant certaines conditions de fond du mariage civil.
  • 3.1K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Water Ionizer
A water ionizer (also known as an alkaline ionizer) is a home appliance which claims to raise the pH of drinking water by using electrolysis to separate the incoming water stream into acidic and alkaline components. The alkaline stream of the treated water is called alkaline water. Proponents claim that consumption of alkaline water results in a variety of health benefits, making it similar to the alternative health practice of alkaline diets. Such claims violate basic principles of chemistry and physiology. There is no medical evidence for any health benefits of alkaline water. Extensive scientific evidence has completely debunked these claims. The machines originally became popular in Japan and other East Asian countries before becoming available in the United States and Europe.
  • 3.1K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Genus Cordyline
Cordyline species have a long history in traditional medicine as a basis of treatment for various ailments such as a bloody cough, dysentery, and a high fever. There are about 26 accepted species names in this genus distributed worldwide, including C. fruticosa, C. autralis, C. stricta, C. cannifolia, and C. dracaenosides. 
  • 3.1K
  • 19 Dec 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Fungi in a One Health Perspective
Fungi constitute a diverse group with highly positive and negative impacts in different environments, having several natural roles and beneficial applications in human life, but also causing several concerns. Fungi can affect human health directly, but also indirectly by being detrimental for animal and plant health, influencing food safety and security. Climate changes are also affecting fungal distribution, prevalence, and their impact on different settings. Searching for sustainable solutions to deal with these issues is challenging due to the complex interactions among fungi and agricultural and forestry plants, animal production, environment, and human and animal health. In this way, the “One Health” approach may be useful to obtain some answers since it recognizes that human health is closely connected to animal and plant health, as well as to the shared environment. This review aims to explore and correlate each of those factors influencing human health in this “One Health” perspective. Thus, the impact of fungi on plants, human, and animal health, and the role of the environment as an influencing factor on these elements are discussed.
  • 3.1K
  • 24 Jul 2023
Topic Review
BFlix UK: Revolutionizing the British Streaming Industry
BFlix UK has made a significant impact on the British streaming industry in a relatively short period. With its focus on local content, user-centric technology, and strategic partnerships, it has managed to stand out in a crowded market. As it continues to innovate and expand, BFlix UK has the potential to become a major player not just in the UK, but in the global streaming arena.
  • 3.1K
  • 31 Oct 2024
Topic Review
Anti-Ro Antibodies and fetal complications
Maternal anti-Ro antibodies present during the fetal period can cause complications ranging from congenital heart block, fetal demise or long-term consequences. The anti-Ro induced autoimmune reaction causes long-term fibrosis and calcification of the conductive tissue. In addition, the CHB injury mechanisms were shown to involve other factors, like fetal susceptibility that increases for every subsequent pregnancy, from a 2% incidence in the case of nulliparous mothers. The predictive value of maternal anti-Ro antibodies for CHB high-risk pregnancy is low, and other markers are lacking, making this condition difficult to efficiently monitor. Moreover, the positive anti-Ro pregnancies do not benefit from a prophylactic treatment or from an efficient therapy once CHB was diagnosed. Thus, new data from ongoing trials are highly expected, to provide both potential biomarkers and therapeutic solutions. This entry illustrates the current understanding of the anti-Ro antibodies associated pathologies, from the perspective of specialists involved in its management, emphasizing key issues, missing links, and possible future directions for an effective interdisciplinary approach.
  • 3.1K
  • 08 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Tualang Honey
Tualang honey is a wild polyfloral honey produced by Apis dorsata. This honey is named after one of the tallest tropical rainforest trees, the Koompassia excelsa tree (known locally as the Tualang tree), where bees build their hives. The bees collect nectar from plants in the tropical rain forest in the North-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia in Kedah.
  • 3.1K
  • 25 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Carbon-Burning Process
The carbon-burning process or carbon fusion is a set of nuclear fusion reactions that take place in the cores of massive stars (at least 8 [math]\displaystyle{ \begin{smallmatrix}M \odot\end{smallmatrix} }[/math] at birth) that combines carbon into other elements. It requires high temperatures (> 5×108 K or 50 keV) and densities (> 3×109 kg/m3). These figures for temperature and density are only a guide. More massive stars burn their nuclear fuel more quickly, since they have to offset greater gravitational forces to stay in (approximate) hydrostatic equilibrium. That generally means higher temperatures, although lower densities, than for less massive stars. To get the right figures for a particular mass, and a particular stage of evolution, it is necessary to use a numerical stellar model computed with computer algorithms. Such models are continually being refined based on nuclear physics experiments (which measure nuclear reaction rates) and astronomical observations (which include direct observation of mass loss, detection of nuclear products from spectrum observations after convection zones develop from the surface to fusion-burning regions – known as dredge-up events – and so bring nuclear products to the surface, and many other observations relevant to models).
  • 3.1K
  • 17 Nov 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Ontologies in Knowledge Organization
Within the knowledge organization systems (KOS) set, the term “ontology” is paradigmatic of the terminological ambiguity in different typologies. Contributing to this situation is the indiscriminate association of the term “ontology”, both as a specific type of KOS and as a process of categorization, due to the interdisciplinary use of the term with different meanings. We present a systematization of the perspectives of different authors of ontologies, as representational artifacts, seeking to contribute to terminological clarification. Focusing the analysis on the intention, semantics and modulation of ontologies, it was possible to notice two broad perspectives regarding ontologies as artifacts that coexist in the knowledge organization systems spectrum. We have ontologies viewed, on the one hand, as an evolution in terms of complexity of traditional conceptual systems, and on the other hand, as a system that organizes ontological rather than epistemological knowledge. The focus of ontological analysis is the item to model and not the intentions that motivate the construction of the system. 
  • 3.1K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Old-Field Secondary Succession
Ecological succession to determine how plant communities re-assemble after a natural or anthropogenic disturbance has always been an important topic in ecology.
  • 3.1K
  • 20 May 2021
Topic Review
Sierpinski Number
In number theory, a Sierpiński number is an odd natural number k such that [math]\displaystyle{ k \times 2^n + 1 }[/math] is composite for all natural numbers n. In 1960, Wacław Sierpiński proved that there are infinitely many odd integers k which have this property. In other words, when k is a Sierpiński number, all members of the following set are composite: If the form is instead [math]\displaystyle{ k \times 2^n - 1 }[/math], then k is a Riesel number.
  • 3.1K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Solar PV Monitoring
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy is a clean, attractive, and secure source of electricity generation. Due to its expanse usage around the globe, the development of an advanced monitoring method is crucial. PV performance can be affected by various environmental factors such as soiling, temperature, irradiance etc. Thus, solar PV accuracy and performance can be improved by employing an efficient solar PV real-time monitoring system. 
  • 3.1K
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Digital Marketing
The concept of digital marketing is based on a combination of traditional marketing tools and online technologies enabled by the internet in the 1990s . Its synonyms include but are not limited to digital marketing, electronic marketing, e-marketing, and online marketing.
  • 3.1K
  • 22 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Population and Housing Censuses by Country
This is a list of national population and housing censuses.
  • 3.1K
  • 20 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Least Developed Countries
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) is a list of developing countries that, according to the United Nations, exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world. The concept of LDCs originated in the late 1960s and the first group of LDCs was listed by the UN in its resolution 2768 (XXVI) of 18 November 1971. A country is classified among the Least Developed Countries if it meets three criteria: (1) Poverty – adjustable criterion based on GNI per capita averaged over three years. (As of 2018) a country must have GNI per capita less than United States dollar 1,025 to be included on the list, and over $1,230 to graduate from it. (2) Human resource weakness (based on indicators of nutrition, health, education and adult literacy). (3) Economic vulnerability (based on instability of agricultural production, instability of exports of goods and services, economic importance of non-traditional activities, merchandise export concentration, handicap of economic smallness, and the percentage of population displaced by natural disasters). As of 2018, 47 countries are classified as LDC, while five have been upgraded between 1994 and 2017. The WTO recognizes the UN list of LDCs in toto. 
  • 3.1K
  • 17 Oct 2022
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