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Topic Review
Bioremediation of Heavy Metals by Microorganisms
Heavy metal pollution is a major environmental problem because metal ions persist in the environment due to their non-degradable nature. The toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency of heavy metals in the environment is a serious threat to the health of living organisms. Unlike organic contaminants, chemical or biological processes cannot break down heavy metals. Hence, they can only be transformed into less toxic species.
  • 2.8K
  • 10 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Mitochondrial ROS and Nrf2
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are byproducts of aerobic respiration and signaling molecules that control various cellular functions. Nrf2 governs the gene expression of endogenous antioxidant synthesis and ROS-eliminating enzymes in response to various electrophilic compounds that inactivate the negative regulator Keap1. Accumulating evidence has shown that mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) activate Nrf2, often mediated by certain protein kinases, and induce the expression of antioxidant genes and genes involved in mitochondrial quality/quantity control. Mild physiological stress, such as caloric restriction and exercise, elicits beneficial effects through a process known as “mitohormesis”. Exercise induces NOX4 expression in the heart, which activates Nrf2 and increases endurance capacity. Mice transiently depleted of SOD2 or overexpressing skeletal muscle-specific UCP1 exhibit Nrf2-mediated antioxidant gene expression and PGC1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis. ATF4 activation may induce a transcriptional program that enhances NADPH synthesis in the mitochondria and might cooperate with the Nrf2 antioxidant system. In response to severe oxidative stress, Nrf2 induces Klf9 expression, which represses mtROS-eliminating enzymes to enhance cell death. Nrf2 is inactivated in certain pathological conditions, such as diabetes, but Keap1 down-regulation or mtROS elimination rescues Nrf2 expression and improves the pathology. These reports aid us in understanding the roles of Nrf2 in pathophysiological alterations involving mtROS.
  • 2.8K
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Sensors and Actuation Technologies in Exoskeletons
Exoskeletons and exoskeletal robots are wearable devices based on a mechanical structure that conceptually mirrors the skeletal structure of a limb or of the involved body-part. Exoskeletons are robots that closely interact with humans and that are increasingly used for different purposes, such as rehabilitation, assistance in the activities of daily living (ADLs), performance augmentation or as haptic devices.
  • 2.8K
  • 25 Feb 2022
Topic Review
September 2019 Climate Strikes
The September 2019 climate strikes, also known as the Global Week for Future, were a series of international strikes and protests to demand action be taken to address climate change, which took place from 20–27 September. The strikes' key dates were 20 September, which was three days before the United Nations Climate Summit, and 27 September. The protests took place across 4,500 locations in 150 countries. The event is a part of the school strike for climate movement, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Guardian reported that roughly 6 million people participated in the events, whilst 350.org—a group that organised many of the protests—claim that 7.6 million people participated. The 20 September protests were likely the largest climate strikes in world history. Organisers reported that over 4 million people participated in strikes worldwide, including 1.4 million participants in Germany. An estimated 300,000 protesters took part in Australian strikes, a further 300,000 people joined UK protests and protesters in New York—where Greta Thunberg delivered a speech—numbered roughly 250,000. More than 2,000 scientists in 40 countries pledged to support the strikes. A second wave of protests took place on 27 September, in which an estimated 2 million people took part in over 2,400 protests. There were reported figures of one million protesters in Italy, and 170,000 people in New Zealand. In Montreal, where Greta Thunberg spoke, the Montreal school board cancelled classes for 114,000 of its students. Hundreds of thousands of people, including several federal party leaders, joined the march in Montreal.
  • 2.8K
  • 13 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Autism and LGBT Identities
Although it is not known exactly what causes one to be on the autism spectrum or what causes one's sexual orientation or gender identity, a few limited studies into autistic people have shown higher rates of LGBT identities and feelings among autistic people than the general population.
  • 2.8K
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Spousal Privilege
In the common law, spousal privilege (also called marital privilege or husband-wife privilege) is a term used in the law of evidence to describe two separate privileges that apply to spouses: the spousal communications privilege and the spousal testimonial privilege. Both types of privilege are based on the policy of encouraging spousal harmony and preventing spouses from having to condemn, or be condemned by, their spouses: the spousal communications privilege or confidences privilege is a form of privileged communication that protects the contents of confidential communications between spouses during their marriage from testimonial disclosure, while spousal testimonial privilege (also called spousal incompetency and spousal immunity) protects the individual holding the privilege from being called to testify in proceedings relating to his/her spouse. However, the spousal privileges have their roots in the legal fiction that a husband and wife were one person.
  • 2.8K
  • 20 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Synthetic Cathinones
New psychoactive substances represent a public health threat since they are not controlled by international conventions, are easily accessible online and are sold as a legal alternative to illicit drugs. Among them, synthetic cathinones are widely abused due to their stimulant and hallucinogenic effects. To circumvent the law, new derivatives are clandestinely synthesized and, therefore, synthetic cathinones keep emerging on the drug market, with their chemical and toxicological properties still unknown.
  • 2.8K
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Foundational Principles and Adaptation of the Achilles Tendon
Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is defined as consistent pain in the Achilles tendon coupled with a loss of function associated with mechanical loading. Achilles tendinopathy can either be classified as insertional AT (symptoms localized 0–2 cm from the distal insertion; 20–25% of Achilles tendon injuries) or midportion AT (symptoms localized 2–7 cm proximal to the insertion; 55–65% of Achilles tendon injuries).
  • 2.8K
  • 01 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Atomization
Atomization is an intricate operation involving unstable and complex networks with rupture and fusion of liquid molecules. There are diverse details that typify the spray formation, which are the technique and configuration of the atomization process, dimension and structure of the nozzle, experimental parameters, etc. .
  • 2.8K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Torsion-Resistant Nature-Inspired Structures
The complexity of torsional load, its three-dimensional nature, its combination with other stresses, and its disruptive impact make torsional failure prevention an ambitious goal. However, even if the problem has been addressed for decades, a deep and organized treatment is still lacking in the actual research landscape. For this reason, this review aims at presenting a methodical approach to address torsional issues starting from a punctual problem definition. Accidents and breaks due to torsion, which often occur in different engineering fields such as mechanical, biomedical, and civil industry are considered and critically compared. More in depth, the limitations of common-designed torsion-resistant structures (i.e., high complexity and increased weight) are highlighted, and emerge as a crucial point for a deeper nature-driven analysis of novel solutions. In this context, an accurate screening of torsion-resistant bio-inspired unit cells is presented, taking inspiration specifically from plants, that are often subjected to the torsional effect of winds. As future insights, the actual state of technology suggests an innovative transposition to the industry: these unit cells could be prominently implied to develop novel metamaterials that could be able to address the torsional issue with a multi-scale and tailored arrangement.
  • 2.8K
  • 09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Polysiloxane-Based Ionic Polymers
A diverse range of linear polysiloxane-based ionic polymers that are hydrophobic and highly flexible can be obtained by substituting the polymers with varying amounts of ionic centers. The materials can be highly crystalline solids, amorphous soft solids, poly(ionic) liquids or viscous polymer liquids.
  • 2.8K
  • 31 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Essential Oils and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Despite the improvements in life expectancy, neurodegenerative conditions have arguably become the most dreaded maladies of older people. The neuroprotective and anti-ageing potentials of essential oils (EOs) are widely evaluated around the globe. The entry focuses on analysing the effectiveness of EOs as neuroprotective remedies among the four common age-related neurodegenerative diseases. The literature was extracted from three databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar) between the years of 2010 to 2020 using the medical subject heading (MeSH) terms “essential oil”, crossed with “Alzheimer’s disease (AD)”, “Huntington’s disease (HD)”, “Parkinson’s disease (PD)” or “amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)”. Eighty three percent (83%) of the studies were focused on AD, while another 12% focused on PD. No classifiable study was recorded on HD or ALS. EO from Salvia officinalis has been recorded as one of the most effective acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors. However, only Cinnamomum sp. has been assessed for its effectiveness in both AD and PD. 
  • 2.8K
  • 31 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Microcontroller Unit-Based Wireless Sensor Network Nodes
Despite numerous research efforts in the fast-growing field of wireless sensor devices, energy consumption remains a challenge that limits the lifetime of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology utilizes WSNs for providing an efficient sensing and communication infrastructure. Thus, a comparison of the existing wireless sensor nodes is crucial. Of particular interest are the advances in the recent MCU-based wireless sensor node platforms, which have become diverse and fairly advanced in relation to the currently available commercial WSN platforms.
  • 2.8K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Farmers’ Livelihood Capital and Sustainable Livelihood Strategies
Livelihood refers to a systematic procedure of making a living on the basis of skills, resources, and feasible activities. With a view to resolving the problem of the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods, the livelihood safety and quality of farmers in poor areas is considered a primary issue, as well as a key research hotspot for experts and scholars. In order to fundamentally help rural areas out of poverty and comprehensively promote rural revitalization, the government needs to not only offer policy support from all aspects, but also to fundamentally improve the livelihood ability of farmers themselves, enrich their livelihood strategies, and help them retain a sustainable way of living.
  • 2.8K
  • 11 May 2022
Topic Review
Rural Development
The development of rural areas is a significant component in social and economic activities. It is very important for optimizing the allocation of rural production and living factors, promoting the integration of urban and rural areas and sustainable development to identify the characteristics and main types of regional rural development.
  • 2.8K
  • 08 Sep 2021
Topic Review
The Principles and Characteristics of NIR Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy technology is a popular method for quantitative and qualitative analysis in fields such as agricultural products and foods by combining with various chemometric methods. In fact, this is the application basis for spectroscopy and spectral imaging techniques in other fields such as genetics and transgenic monitoring. There has been considerable research using spectroscopy (especially near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy) for the effective identification of agricultural products and foods. The principles and characteristics of NIR spectroscopy and its applications in the detection of transgenic agricultural products and foods are described.
  • 2.8K
  • 03 Mar 2023
Topic Review
GPCRs Regulate DNA Integrity
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their associated signaling proteins represent one of the most diverse cellular signaling systems involved in both physiological and pathophysiological processes. Aging represents perhaps the most complex biological process in humans and involves a progressive degradation of systemic integrity and physiological resilience. This is in part mediated by age-related aberrations in energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, protein folding and sorting, inflammatory activity, signal transduction fidelity and genomic stability. An increased rate of unrepaired DNA damage is considered to be one of the key ‘hallmarks’ of aging. Over the last two decades our appreciation of the complexity of GPCR signaling systems has expanded their functional signaling repertoire. One such example of this is the incipient role of GPCRs and GPCR-interacting proteins in DNA damage and repair (DDR) mechanisms. Emerging data now suggest that GPCRs could function as stress sensors for intracellular damage such as oxidative stress. Given this role of GPCRs in the DNA damage response process, coupled to the effective history of drug targeting of these receptors, this suggests that one important future activity of GPCR therapeutics is the rational control of DNA damage repair systems.
  • 2.8K
  • 30 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Chemistry and Biosynthesis of Apigenin
Apigenin, a natural bioactive flavonoid widely present in medicinal plants, functional foods, vegetables and fruits, exerts protective effects in models of neurological disorders and cardiovascular diseases and most of these effects are attributed to its antioxidant action.
  • 2.8K
  • 05 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Using Waste Plastics as Asphalt Modifier
The use of waste products in the production of asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures has become widespread due to economic and environmental benefits. In particular, the use of recycled waste plastic in asphalt binders and mixtures is gaining more attention. Overall, the incorporation of plastic waste into asphalt mixtures can significantly improve high-temperature performance and has potential economic and environmental benefits. The performance of modified asphalt is highly dependent on multiple factors, such as waste sources, waste plastic dosages, blending conditions, and the pretreatment methods for waste plastic.
  • 2.8K
  • 28 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)
Self-sovereign identity (SSI), a new concept, is becoming more popular as a secure and reliable identity solution for users based on identity principles. SSI provides users with a way to control their personal information and consent for it to be used in various ways. In addition, the user’s identity details are stored in a decentralized manner, which helps to overcome the problems with digital identity solutions.
  • 2.8K
  • 07 Jun 2022
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