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Topic Review
Nanotechnology for Precision Agriculture
By adopting nanotechnology-based precision agricultural practices, the farming community can reduce agrochemicals while maintaining high crop productivity, protecting soil and water health, and contributing to a cleaner environment.
  • 1.6K
  • 14 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Micro-Irrigation Technologies in India and Africa
Water is an essential resource for the realization of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The increasing global food insecurity, hunger, human population, and uneconomical extraction and use of non-renewable resources require, among other things, a substantial intensification of agricultural production. In this context, there has been a need to adopt irrigation technologies, especially in developing countries where agriculture and its allied sectors employ more than 50% of the total population but account for up to 90% of the total freshwater consumptive use. India and Africa are at the crux of this conundrum, where there is an urgent need to build resilience with the already excessively allotted water resources. Innovative and water-efficient irrigation technologies could be one of the windows of opportunity to overcome water scarcity and enhance food security in these regions. 
  • 1.6K
  • 08 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Diet-Derived Phytochemicals Modulate the Gut Microbiome
Diet-derived phytochemicals modulate microbiome that is found to offer significant protective effects against colorectal cancer (CRC). The person’s lifestyle and the eating pattern have significant impacts on the CRC in a positive and/or negative way. Phytochemicals are a concoction of various bioactive compounds directing various cell signaling pathways that altered gut microbiota composition. This may support to destroy malignant cells with minor risks of emerging drug resistance. The effectiveness of CRC can be reduced by the use of various dietary phytochemicals or modulating microbiome that reduces or inverses the progression of a tumor, which could be promising and efficient in reducing the burden of CRC. Phytochemicals with modulation of gut microbiome continue to be auspicious investigations in CRC through noticeable anti-tumorigenic effects, which provides new openings for cancer inhibition and treatment.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Targeting Gut Microbial Biofilms
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a global public health issue which poses a substantial humanistic and economic burden on patients, healthcare systems and society. In recent years, intestinal dysbiosis has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of CRC, with specific pathogens exhibiting oncogenic potentials such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, Escherichia coli and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis having been found to contribute to CRC development. More recently, it has been shown that initiation of CRC development by these microorganisms requires the formation of biofilms. Gut microbial biofilm forms in the inner colonic mucus layer and is composed of polymicrobial communities. Biofilm results in the redistribution of colonic epithelial cell E-cadherin, increases permeability of the gut and causes a loss of function of the intestinal barrier, all of which enhance intestinal dysbiosis. This literature review aims to compile the various strategies that target these pathogenic biofilms and could potentially play a role in the prevention of CRC. We explore the potential use of natural products, silver nanoparticles, upconverting nanoparticles, thiosalicylate complexes, anti-rheumatic agent (Auranofin), probiotics and quorum-sensing inhibitors as strategies to hinder colon carcinogenesis via targeting colon-associated biofilms.
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Oct 2020
Topic Review
HIV-1
The HIV-1 integrase enzyme (IN) plays a critical role in the viral life cycle by integrating the reverse-transcribed viral DNA into the host chromosome. This function of IN has been well studied, and the knowledge gained has informed the design of small molecule inhibitors that now form key components of antiretroviral therapy regimens. Recent discoveries unveiled that IN has an under-studied yet equally vital second function in HIV-1 replication. This involves IN binding to the viral RNA genome in virions, which is necessary for proper virion maturation and morphogenesis. Herein we describe these two functions of IN within the context of the HIV-1 life cycle, how IN binding to the viral genome is coordinated by the major structural protein, Gag, and discuss the value of targeting the second role of IN in virion morphogenesis.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Balanced Xylan Acetylation
Xylan is the most abundant hemicellulose, constitutes about 25–35% of the dry biomass of woody and lignified tissues, and occurs up to 50% in some cereal grains. The accurate degree and position of xylan acetylation is necessary for xylan function and for plant growth and development. The post synthetic acetylation of cell wall xylan, mainly regulated by Reduced Wall Acetylation (RWA), Trichome Birefringence-Like (TBL), and Altered Xyloglucan 9 (AXY9) genes, is essential for effective bonding of xylan with cellulose. Recent studies have proven that not only xylan acetylation but also its deacetylation is vital for various plant functions.
  • 1.6K
  • 20 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Ciguatera in the Indian Ocean
Ciguatera poisoning is regarded globally as the most significant non-bacterial poisoning associated with fish consumption. It is usually limited to the consumption of toxic fish from regions between the latitudes 35° N and 35° S. Studies have shown a strong positive correlation between Gambierdiscus abundance and algal macrophytes. Some earlier studies proposed a standardized methodology for estimating Gambierdiscus abundance based on sampling macroalgae.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Retraction
A retraction is a public statement made about an earlier statement that withdraws, cancels, refutes, or reverses the original statement or ceases and desists from publishing the original statement.
  • 1.6K
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Rational ClearQuest
ClearQuest is an enterprise level workflow automation tool from the Rational Software division of IBM. Commonly, ClearQuest is configured as a bug tracking system, but it can be configured to act as a CRM tool or to track a complex manufacturing process. It can also implement these functions together. IBM provides a number of predefined "schemas" for common tasks such as software defect tracking which can themselves be further customized if required.
  • 1.6K
  • 31 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Louvain Modularity
The Louvain Method for community detection is a method to extract communities from large networks created by Blondel et al. from the University of Louvain (affiliation of authors has given the method its name). The method is a greedy optimization method that appears to run in time [math]\displaystyle{ O(n \log n) }[/math].
  • 1.6K
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Polymeric Micelles for Anticancer Hydrophobic Drugs
Cancer has become one of the deadliest diseases in our society. Surgery accompanied by subsequent chemotherapy is the treatment most used to prolong or save the patient’s life. Still, it carries secondary risks such as infections and thrombosis and causes cytotoxic effects in healthy tissues. Using nanocarriers such as smart polymer micelles is a promising alternative to avoid or minimize these problems. These nanostructured systems will be able to encapsulate hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs through modified copolymers with various functional groups such as carboxyls, amines, hydroxyls, etc.
  • 1.6K
  • 13 Jan 2023
Topic Review Video
The 12 Rs Framework for Research with Animals
Animals have been used in research for various purposes, ranging from animal, agricultural, wildlife, environmental and medical sciences to education and training. The ethical and humane use of animals for scientific purposes is often referred to animal research ethics. The latter has matured substantially, so that it has become a cornerstone for responsible conduct of research. Scientific studies using animals are diverse and specialized in nature, and the intricacy of animal welfare and other key ethical aspects to be considered has also become expansive and complex, requiring a simplified, birds-eye view model, here called the 12Rs Framework, to guide all stakeholders between key considerations and fostering ethical integrity.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Ethiopian Anticancer Plants
This entry provides an overview on the active phytochemical constituents of twenty-seven medicinal plants that are traditionally used to manage cancer in Ethiopia. It is compiled and discusses the potential anticancer, antiproliferative, and cytotoxic agents based on the types of secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, steroids, and lignans. Among the anticancer secondary metabolites reported in this review, only few have been isolated from plants that are originated and collected in Ethiopia, and the majority of compounds are reported from plants belonging to different areas of the world. Thus, based on the available bioactivity reports, extensive and more elaborate ethnopharmacology-based bioassay-guided studies have to be conducted on selected traditionally claimed Ethiopian anticancer plants, which inherited from a unique and diverse landscape, with the aim of opening a way forward to conduct anticancer drug discovery program.
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Physical Fitness in Adulthood
The aim of the entry is the elaboration of a systematic review of existing research on physical fitness, self-efficacy for physical exercise, and quality of life in adulthood. Method: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines, and based on the findings in 493 articles, the final sample was composed of 37 articles, which were reviewed to show whether self-efficacy has previously been studied as a mediator in the relationship between physical fitness and quality of life in adulthood. Results: The results indicate that little research exists in relation to healthy, populations with the majority being people with pathology. Physical fitness should be considered as a fundamental aspect in determining the functional capacity of the person. Aerobic capacity was the most evaluated and the 6-min walk test was the most used. Only one article shows the joint relationship between the three variables. Conclusions: We discuss the need to investigate the mediation of self-efficacy in relation to the value of physical activity on quality of life and well-being in the healthy adult population in adult life.
  • 1.6K
  • 11 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Advances in Histone Demethylase KDM3A
Lysine-specific histone demethylase 3 (KDM3) subfamily proteins are H3K9me2/me1 histone demethylases that promote gene expression. The KDM3 subfamily primarily consists of four proteins (KDM3A−D). All four proteins contain the catalytic Jumonji C domain (JmjC) at their C-termini, but whether KDM3C has demethylase activity is under debate. In addition, KDM3 proteins contain a zinc-finger domain for DNA binding and an LXXLL motif for interacting with nuclear receptors. Of the KDM3 proteins, KDM3A is especially deregulated or overexpressed in multiple cancers, making it a potential cancer therapeutic target. However, no KDM3A-selective inhibitors have been identified to date because of the lack of structural information. Uncovering the distinct physiological and pathological functions of KDM3A and their structure will give insight into the development of novel selective inhibitors.
  • 1.6K
  • 19 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Convolutional Neural Network
Convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning (DL) has a wide variety of applications in the geospatial and remote sensing (RS) sciences, and consequently has been a focus of many recent studies. 
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Camellia sinensis
Tea, Camellia sinensis, which belongs to the family Theaceae, is a shrub or evergreen tree up to 16 m in height. Green tea is very popular because of its marked health benefits comprising its anticancer, anti-oxidant, and antimicrobial activities, as well as its effectiveness in reducing body weight. Additionally, it was recognized by Chinese people as an effective traditional drink required for the prophylaxis against many health ailments. This is due to the complex chemical composition of green tea, which comprises different classes of chemical compounds, such as polyphenols, alkaloids, proteins, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and others. The beneficial health effects of green tea ultimately led to its great consumption and increase its liability to be adulterated by either low-quality or non-green tea products with concomitant decrease in activity.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Nuclear Resonance Vibrational Spectroscopy
Nuclear resonant vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) is a synchrotron radiation (SR)-based nuclear inelastic scattering spectroscopy that measures the phonons (i.e., vibrational modes) associated with the nuclear transition. It has distinct advantages over traditional vibration spectroscopy and has wide applications in physics, chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, materials sciences, and geology, as well as many other research areas.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Heavy Metal Toxicity and Sequestration in Plants
Heavy metal (HM) toxicity has become a global concern in recent years and is imposing a severe threat to the environment and human health. In the case of plants, a higher concentration of HMs, above a threshold, adversely affects cellular metabolism because of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which target the key biological molecules. Moreover, some of the HMs such as mercury and arsenic, among others, can directly alter the protein/enzyme activities by targeting their –SH group to further impede the cellular metabolism. Particularly, inhibition of photosynthesis has been reported under HM toxicity because HMs trigger the degradation of chlorophyll molecules by enhancing the chlorophyllase activity and by replacing the central Mg ion in the porphyrin ring which affects overall plant growth and yield. Consequently, plants utilize various strategies to mitigate the negative impact of HM toxicity by limiting the uptake of these HMs and their sequestration into the vacuoles with the help of various molecules including proteins such as phytochelatins, metallothionein, compatible solutes, and secondary metabolites.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity
Obesity and ageing place a tremendous strain on the global healthcare system. Age-related sarcopenia is characterized by decreased muscular strength, decreased muscle quantity, quality, and decreased functional performance. Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a condition that combines sarcopenia and obesity and has a substantial influence on the older adults’ health.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Mar 2022
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