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Topic Review
Dye Adsorption of Biochar
Biochar (BC) is a highly stable carbonaceous material that is aromatized and amorphous in nature. It is usually formed after thermochemical conversion of organic matter and wastes at temperatures of 350–750 °C under limited oxygen conditions. It is being studied to a great degree because of its potential for carbon sequestration, soil improvement, climate change mitigation, catalysis, wastewater treatment, energy storage, and waste management.
  • 2.7K
  • 12 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Point of Sale
The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place where a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice for the customer (which may be a cash register printout), and indicates the options for the customer to make payment. It is also the point at which a customer makes a payment to the merchant in exchange for goods or after provision of a service. After receiving payment, the merchant may issue a receipt for the transaction, which is usually printed but is increasingly being dispensed with or sent electronically. To calculate the amount owed by a customer, the merchant may use various devices such as weighing scales, barcode scanners, and cash registers. To make a payment, payment terminals, touch screens, and other hardware and software options are available. The point of sale is often referred to as the point of service because it is not just a point of sale but also a point of return or customer order. POS terminal software may also include features for additional functionality, such as inventory management, CRM, financials, or warehousing. Businesses are increasingly adopting POS systems, and one of the most obvious and compelling reasons is that a POS system does away with the need for price tags. Selling prices are linked to the product code of an item when adding stock, so the cashier merely needs to scan this code to process a sale. If there is a price change, this can also be easily done through the inventory window. Other advantages include the ability to implement various types of discounts, a loyalty scheme for customers, and more efficient stock control.
  • 2.7K
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Search Engine Manipulation Effect
The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) is the change in consumer preferences from manipulations of search results by search engine providers. SEME is one of the largest behavioral effects ever discovered. This includes voting preferences. A 2015 study indicated that such manipulations could shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20 percent or more and up to 80 percent in some demographics. The study estimated that this could change the outcome of upwards of 25 percent of national elections worldwide. On the other hand, Google denies secretly re-ranking search results to manipulate user sentiment, or tweaking ranking specially for elections or political candidates.
  • 2.7K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was also a more general and nationwide need in light of the potential threat of invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. Since 1 April 2015 Ordnance Survey has operated as Ordnance Survey Ltd, a government-owned company, 100% in public ownership. The Ordnance Survey Board remains accountable to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It was also a member of the Public Data Group. Paper maps for walkers represent only 5% of OS' annual revenue. They produce digital map data, online route planning and sharing services and mobile apps, plus many other location-based products for business, government and consumers. Ordnance Survey mapping is usually classified as either "large-scale" (in other words, more detailed) or "small-scale". The Survey's large-scale mapping comprises 1:2,500 maps for urban areas and 1:10,000 more generally. (The latter superseded the 1:10,560 "six inches to the mile" scale in the 1950s.) These large scale maps are typically used in professional land-use contexts and were available as sheets until the 1980s, when they were digitised. Small-scale mapping for leisure use includes the 1:25,000 "Explorer" series, the 1:50,000 "Landranger" series and the 1:250,000 road maps. These are still available in traditional sheet form. Ordnance Survey maps remain in copyright for fifty years after their publication. Some of the Copyright Libraries hold complete or near-complete collections of pre-digital OS mapping.
  • 2.7K
  • 14 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Probiotics in Aquaculture
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) define probiotics as “Live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Possible action modes of probiotics in aquaculture include the regulation of amino and fatty acid metabolisms, the excretion of digestive enzymes and vitamins or cofactors, the production of antagonistic compounds that inhibit bacteria, the enhancement of immune responses, the disruption of the quorum-sensing processes of pathogenic organisms, stress improvement, and heavy-metal detoxification.
  • 2.7K
  • 13 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Different Nerve-Sparing Techniques during Radical Prostatectomy
Nerve-sparing technique during RP has a major impact to both oncological and functional outcomes of the procedure and various different techniques have been developed aiming to optimize its outcomes. Nerve-sparing techniques can be distinguished based on the fascial planes of dissection (intrafascial, interfascial or extrafascial), the direction of dissection (retrograde or antegrade), the timing of the neurovascular bundle dissection off the prostate (early vs. late release), the use of cautery, the application of traction and the number of the neurovascular bundles which are preserved.
  • 2.7K
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Cultural Heritage
For urban development worldwide, the revitalisation of cultural heritage and historical buildings is regarded as a strategy for creating jobs, increasing residents’ access to local culture, improving their quality of life, and developing the urban economy. The key factor in the revitalisation of cultural heritage and historical buildings is a strategy for developing the urban economy.
  • 2.7K
  • 25 May 2022
Topic Review
Benign Migratory Glossitis
Geographic tongue, also known by several other terms, is a condition of the mucous membrane of the tongue, usually on the dorsal surface. It is a common condition, affecting approximately 2–3% of the general population. It is characterized by areas of smooth, red depapillation (loss of lingual papillae) which migrate over time. The name comes from the map-like appearance of the tongue, with the patches resembling the islands of an archipelago. The cause is unknown, but the condition is entirely benign (importantly, it does not represent oral cancer), and there is no curative treatment. Uncommonly, geographic tongue may cause a burning sensation on the tongue, for which various treatments have been described with little formal evidence of efficacy.
  • 2.7K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Hydatid Cyst Radiological Pictorial Review
Hydatid cyst is a common name for the larval stage of a tapeworm species of the genus Echinococcus granulosus, which is transmitted from animals to humans via the fecal–oral route. Hydatid cysts predominantly affect the liver (75%), followed by the lung (15%), and they can affect many organs in the human body. Medical imaging modalities are the keystone for the diagnosis of hydatid cysts with high sensitivity and specificity. Ultrasound imaging with high resolution is the first choice for diagnosis, differential diagnosis, staging, establishing a role in interventional management, and follow-up, and it can differentiate Type I hydatid cysts from simple liver cysts. Unenhanced computed tomography (CT) is indicated where or when an ultrasound is unsatisfactory, such as with chest or brain hydatid cysts, when detecting calcification, and in obese patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior for demonstrating cyst wall defects, biliary communication, neural involvement, and differentiating hydatid cysts from simple cysts using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences.
  • 2.7K
  • 03 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Starch-Based Materials
Starch is one of the most common biodegradable polymers found in nature, and it is widely utilized in the food and beverage, bioplastic industry, paper industry, textile, and biofuel industries. Starch has received significant attention due to its environmental benignity, easy fabrication, relative abundance, non-toxicity, and biodegradability. 
  • 2.7K
  • 25 Nov 2021
Topic Review
HADOPI Law
The French HADOPI law or Creation and Internet law (French: Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des Œuvres et la Protection des droits d'auteur sur Internet, pronounced [ot‿ɔtɔʁite puʁ la difyzjɔ̃ dɛz‿œvʁ e la pʁɔtɛksjɔ̃ de dʁwa d‿otœʁ syʁ ɛ̃tɛʁnɛt]; or, loosely in English, "Supreme Authority for the Distribution of Works and Protection of Copyright on the Internet") was introduced during 2009, providing what is known as a graduated response as a means to encourage compliance with copyright laws. HADOPI is the acronym of the government agency created to administer it. The part of the HADOPI law that allowed for suspension of Internet access to a repeat infringer was revoked on 8 July 2013 by the French government because that penalty was considered to be disproportionate. The power to impose fines or other sanctions on repeat infringers remains in effect. In January 2022, the Hadopi agency merged with the High Audiovisual Council (CSA), to form the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique; ARCOM).
  • 2.7K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Carbon Nanomaterials
Being a member of nanofamily, carbon nanomaterials exhibit specific properties that mostly arise from their small size. They have proved as very promising for the application in the technical and biomedical fields. A wide spectrum of use implies the inevitable presence of carbon nanomaterials in the environment, thus potentially endangering the whole nature. Although scientists worldwide have conducted researches investigating the impact of these materials, it is evident that there are still significant gaps concerning the knowledge of their mechanisms, as well as prolonged and chronic exposure and effects. Thinking small can greatly help us improve our lives, but also obliges us to deeply and comprehensively investigate all the possible consequences that could arise from our pure-hearted scientific ambitions and work.
  • 2.7K
  • 07 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Earth Sheltering
Earth sheltering is the architectural practice of using earth against building walls for external thermal mass, to reduce heat loss, and to easily maintain a steady indoor air temperature. Earth sheltering has become relatively more popular in modern times, especially among environmentalists and advocates of passive solar and sustainable architecture. However, the practice has been around for nearly as long as humans have been constructing their own shelters.
  • 2.7K
  • 27 Oct 2022
Topic Review
4D Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM) is a subset of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) which utilizes a pixelated electron detector to capture a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern at each scan location. This technique captures a 2 dimensional reciprocal space image associated with each scan point as the beam rasters across a 2 dimensional region in real space, hence the name 4D STEM. Its development was enabled by evolution in STEM detectors and improvements computational power. The technique has applications in visual diffraction imaging, phase orientation and strain mapping, phase contrast analysis, among others. The name 4D STEM is common in literature, however it is known by other names: 4D STEM EELS, ND STEM (N- since the number of dimensions could be higher than 4), position resolved diffraction (PRD), spatial resolved diffractometry, momentum-resolved STEM, "nanobeam precision electron diffraction", scanning electron nano diffraction, nanobeam electron diffraction, or pixelated STEM.
  • 2.7K
  • 11 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Cell Lines from Strawberry Fruits
Fleshy fruits are crucial in a healthy human diet but highly perishable due to their delicate texture at full ripe stage. Tomato and strawberry are leading crops which belongs to this fleshy fruit category, as well as models for ripening of climacteric and non-climateric fruits, respectively. In this regard, cell cultures derived from strawberry fruit at different developmental stages have been obtained to evaluate their potential use to study different aspects of strawberry ripening. Callus from leaf and cortical tissue of unripe-green, white, and mature-red strawberry fruits were induced in a medium supplemented with 11.3 M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) under darkness. This 2,4-D chemical reagent is an herbicide which mimics the action of the natural plant hormone auxin, widely used in plant cell culture. The transfer of the established callus from darkness to light induced the production of anthocyanin. The replacement of 2,4-D by abscisic acid (ABA) noticeably increased anthocyanin accumulation in green-fruit callus. Cell walls were isolated from the different fruit cell lines and from fruit receptacles at equivalent developmental stages and sequentially fractionated to obtain fractions enriched in soluble pectins, ester bound pectins, xyloglucans (XG), and matrix glycans tightly associated with cellulose microfibrils. These fractions were analyzed by cell wall carbohydrate microarrays. In fruit receptacle samples, pectins were abundant in all fractions, including those enriched in matrix glycans. The amount of pectin increased from green to white stage, and later these carbohydrates were solubilized in red fruit. Apparently, XG content was similar in white and red fruit, but the proportion of galactosylated XG increased in red fruit. Cell wall fractions from callus cultures were enriched in extensin and displayed a minor amount of pectins. Stronger signals of extensin antibodies were detected in sodium carbonate fraction, suggesting that these proteins could be linked to pectins. Overall, the results obtained suggest that fruit cell lines could be used to analyze hormonal regulation of color development in strawberry but that the cell wall remodelling process associated with fruit softening might be masked by the high presence of extensin in callus cultures.
  • 2.7K
  • 24 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Wetlands in China
China has a wetland area of 53.42 million hectares, the fourth largest in the world; it includes all types of wetlands defined by the Ramsar Convention and has a carbon sink capacity of more than 1.71 million metric tons per year. Inland wetlands in China are mainly distributed in 10 major catchments, among which the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the rivers in the northwest, and the rivers in the northeast each have more than 8 million hectares of wetlands. There are 4220 species of plants and 4015 species of animals in China’s wetland ecosystem. The wetland resources that have been developed and utilized include edible products, reeds for paper making, peat for fertilizer, fuel for power generation, and chemical, pharmaceutical, ceramic, and building materials. Wetland areas in China have shrunk by about 54% since 1980.
  • 2.7K
  • 18 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Human Remains Detection Dogs
Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) are powerful police assets to locate a corpse. However, methods used to select and train them are as diverse as the number of countries with such a canine brigade. First, a survey was sent to human remains searching brigades (N Countries = 10; N Brigades = 16; N Handlers = 50; N questions = 9), to collect their working habits. It confirmed the lack of optimized selection and training procedures. Second, a literature review was performed in order to outline the strengths and shortcomings of HRDDs training. A comparison between the scientific knowledge and common practices used by HRDDs brigade was then conducted focusing on HRDDs selection and training procedures. We highlighted that HRDD handlers explained to select their dogs by focusing on behavioral traits while neglecting anatomical features, which have shown their importance. Most HRDD handlers reported to use a reward-based training, which is in accordance with training literature for dogs. Olfactory training aids should be representative of the odor target to allow a dog to reach optimal performances. The survey highlighted the wide diversity of homemade olfactory training aids, and the need to optimize their composition. In the present document, key research topics to improve HRDD works are also provided.
  • 2.7K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
List of Minerals Approved by IMA (P–Q)
This list includes those recognised minerals beginning with the letters P and Q. The International Mineralogical Association is the international group that recognises new minerals and new mineral names, however minerals discovered before 1959 did not go through the official naming procedure, although some minerals published previously have been either confirmed or discredited since that date. This list contains a mixture of mineral names that have been approved since 1959 and those mineral names believed to still refer to valid mineral species (these are called "grandfathered" species). The list is divided into groups: The data was exported from mindat.org on 29 April 2005; updated up to 'IMA2018'. The minerals are sorted by name, followed by the structural group (rruff.info/ima and ima-cnmnc by mineralienatlas.de, mainly) or chemical class (mindat.org and basics), the year of publication (if it's before of an IMA approval procedure), the IMA approval and the Nickel–Strunz code. The first link is to mindat.org, the second link is to webmineral.com, and the third is to the Handbook of Mineralogy (Mineralogical Society of America).
  • 2.7K
  • 06 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Cracks Types and Causes of Laser Cladding Coatings
Laser cladding, a novel surface treatment technology, utilizes a high-energy laser beam to melt diverse alloy compositions and form a specialized alloy-cladding layer on the surface of the substrate to enhance its property. However, it can generate substantial residual stresses during the rapid cooling and heating stages, due to inadequate selection of cladding process parameters and disparities in thermophysical properties between the clad layer and substrate material, leading to the formation of various types of cracks. These cracks can significantly impact the quality and performance of the coating.
  • 2.7K
  • 26 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Human-Centered Smart Homes Supporting Mental Health Aging-in-Place
Smart home technologies (SHTs) hold promises for supporting older adults by enabling early detection and intervention in mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. However, adoption remains limited due to usability, accessibility, and privacy concerns. Our findings reveal that interface complexity, cognitive overload, high costs, and privacy concerns are significant barriers to adoption. Accessibility challenges, including physical and sensory impairments, further reduce engagement and inclusivity. Key facilitators for user acceptance include user-centric design, personalization, participatory co-development, and cultural adaptations. SHTs incorporating AI-driven features, such as behavioral monitoring, medication reminders, and social engagement tools, demonstrate significant potential for early mental health interventions. Based on these findings, we propose a holistic framework integrating technical innovation with human-centered design to address these challenges and optimize SHTs for mental health care. 
  • 2.7K
  • 26 Jan 2025
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