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
COTS-Based Architectural Framework
This research tackles issues such as the reliability and efficiency of real-time control systems based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. A strong emphasis is placed on finding novel efficient solutions based on standardized and commercially available off-the-shelf hardware/software components. In this direction, this research applies credible and feasible methodologies (e.g., model-based design, component-based design, formal verification, real-time scheduling, prototyping, and validation) in an innovative enhanced way. As an important outcome, a versatile integrative design approach and architectural framework (VIDAF) is proposed, which supports the development and implementation of reliable real-time control systems and applications using commercial off-the-shelf components. The feasibility and applicability of the proposed system’s architecture are evaluated and validated through a system application in embedded real-time control in manufacturing. The research outcomes are expected to have a positive impact on emerging areas such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
  • 6.2K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is a Chinese satellite navigation system. It consists of two separate satellite constellations. The first BeiDou system, officially called the BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System and also known as BeiDou-1, consists of three satellites which since 2000 has offered limited coverage and navigation services, mainly for users in China and neighboring regions. Beidou-1 was decommissioned at the end of 2012. The second generation of the system, officially called the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and also known as COMPASS or BeiDou-2, became operational in China in December 2011 with a partial constellation of 10 satellites in orbit. Since December 2012, it has been offering services to customers in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2015, China started the build-up of the third generation BeiDou system (BeiDou-3) in the global coverage constellation. The first BDS-3 satellite was launched on 30 March 2015. As of January 2018, nine BeiDou-3 satellites have been launched. BeiDou-3 will eventually consist of 35 satellites and is expected to provide global services upon completion in 2020. When fully completed, BeiDou will provide an alternative global navigation satellite system to the United States owned Global Positioning System (GPS), and is expected to be more accurate than the GPS. It was claimed in 2016 that BeiDou-3 will reach millimeter-level accuracy (with post-processing), which is ten times more accurate than the finest level of GPS. According to China Daily, in 2015, fifteen years after the satellite system was launched, it was generating a turnover of $31.5 billion per annum for major companies such as China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, AutoNavi Holdings Ltd, and China North Industries Group Corp.
  • 6.2K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Persuasive Technology
Persuasive technology is broadly defined as technology that is designed to change attitudes or behaviors of the users through persuasion and social influence, but not necessarily through coercion. Such technologies are regularly used in sales, diplomacy, politics, religion, military training, public health, and management, and may potentially be used in any area of human-human or human-computer interaction. Most self-identified persuasive technology research focuses on interactive, computational technologies, including desktop computers, Internet services, video games, and mobile devices, but this incorporates and builds on the results, theories, and methods of experimental psychology, rhetoric, and human-computer interaction. The design of persuasive technologies can be seen as a particular case of design with intent.
  • 6.2K
  • 28 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) are primary regulators of blood and lymphatic vessels. Hemangiogenic VEGFs (VEGF-A, PlGF, and VEGF-B) target mostly blood vessels, while the lymphangiogenic VEGFs (VEGF-C and VEGF-D) target mostly lymphatic vessels. Blocking VEGF-A is used today to treat several types of cancer (“antiangiogenic therapy”). However, in other diseases, it would be beneficial to do the opposite, namely to increase the activity of VEGFs. For example, VEGF-A could generate new blood vessels to protect from heart disease, and VEGF-C could generate new lymphatics to counteract lymphedema. Clinical trials that tried to stimulate blood vessel growth in ischemic diseases have been disappointing so far, and the first clinical trials targeting the lymphatic vasculature have progressed to phase II. Antiangiogenic drugs targeting VEGF-A such as bevacizumab or aflibercept neutralize the growth factor directly. However, since VEGF-C and VEGF-D are produced as inactive precursors, novel drugs against the lymphangiogenic VEGFs could also target the enzymatic activation of VEGF-C and VEGF-D. Because of the delicate balance between too much and too little vascular growth, a detailed understanding of the activation of the VEGF-C and VEGF-D is needed before such concepts can be converted into safe and efficacious therapies.
  • 6.2K
  • 30 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Traditional Mexican Diet
Grains, legumes, and vegetables were the most representative food groups in the traditional Mexican diet (TMexD), as these were mentioned in most (75%) of the studies, including all the subgroups evaluated. Additionally, maize (mostly as tortillas), beans, squash, tomato, chile, and onion are potentially fundamental elements of the TMexD, as these were the only individual foods cited in most studies, including all the subgroups evaluated. Indeed, maize (a grain), beans (a legume), and squash (a vegetable) have long represented the basic foods in Mexico, as they form part of the ancient agro-ecosystem known as Milpa. Other groups that were also mentioned in all the studies and subgroup analyses were maize products, fruits, beverages, fish and seafood, meats, sweets and sweeteners, and herbs and condiments. However, these were mentioned in different frequencies in the different subgroups assessed (i.e., in ≥75% of studies in some subgroups while in only 50% of studies in others). 
  • 6.2K
  • 05 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Detection of Adulteration of Honey
Nowadays, adulteration of honey is a major concern among authorities in order to ensure its quality by imposing specific standards that allow the honey to be competitive in the market. Traditionally, the identification of adulteration of honey is performed by physicochemical methods. However, spectroscopic techniques are considerably more practical when detecting impurities in honey due to fraudulent acts, as these techniques are easy to execute,  more rapid, and more reliable than physicochemical methods.
  • 6.2K
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Around the World Sailing Record
The first around the world sailing record for circumnavigation of the world was Juan Sebastián Elcano and the remaining members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray (1898). The current record holders are IDEC 3, skippered by Francis Joyon in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds for a crewed journey, and François Gabart with Macif in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds for a solo journey. Most races or solo attempts start from Europe. Due to the configuration of the continents, sailing around the world consists of sailing on the Southern Ocean around the Antarctica continent, passing south of Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin. Since 1918 the Panama Canal is an option but the locks must be entered and exited using engine power. Large stretches of the canal can be crossed under sail power. Sailing around the world can be done by two directions: eastward or westward. The dominant winds and currents (outside tropical areas) make the voyage eastwards on the Southern hemisphere faster, most skippers and yachts who race prefer this route. Today, the multihulls perform much better than monohulls and hold the best times. Leisure yacht skippers who prefer tropical seas more often go westward, using the trade winds (and the Panama canal). The Jules Verne Trophy is awarded to the skipper who breaks the previous Jules Verne record, starting from an imaginary line between the Créac'h lighthouse on Ouessant (Ushant) Island, France , and the Lizard Lighthouse, United Kingdom . This has not always been the OUTRIGHT record. The records are homologated by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC). According to the WSSRC, for around the world sailing records, there is a rule saying that the length must be at least 21,600 nmi calculated along the shortest possible track from the starting port and back that does not cross land and does not go below 63°S. The great-circle distance formulas are to be used, assuming that the great circle length is 21,600 nmi. It is allowed to have one single waypoint to lengthen the calculated track. The equator must be crossed. In reality, this means that the boat should pass a waypoint at or not far from the antipode of the starting port of the journey (the exact position depends on how short the shortest possible track is). For example, the Vendée Globe starts at 46°N 2°W, has a waypoint at 57°S 180°E, and barely makes the distance requirement. The participants don't have to go to the antipode at 46°S 178°E since the rounding of Africa gives extra distance.
  • 6.2K
  • 11 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Scunthorpe Problem
The Scunthorpe problem is the unintentional blocking of websites, e-mails, forum posts or search results by a spam filter or search engine because their text contains a string (or substring) of letters that appear to have an obscene or otherwise unacceptable meaning. Names, abbreviations, and technical terms are most often cited as being affected by the issue. The problem arises since computers can easily identify strings of text within a document, but interpreting words of this kind requires considerable ability to interpret a wide range of contexts, possibly across many cultures, which is an extremely difficult task. As a result, broad blocking rules may result in false positives affecting innocent phrases.
  • 6.2K
  • 14 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Iranian Subsidy Reform Plan
The economy of Iran includes a lot of subsidies. The Iranian targeted subsidy plan (Persian: طرح هدفمندسازی یارانه‌ها‎), also known as the subsidy reform plan, was passed by the Iranian Parliament in 2010. The government described the subsidy plan as the "biggest surgery" to the nation's economy in half a century and "one of the most important undertakings in Iran's recent economic history". The goal of the subsidy reform plan is to replace subsidies on food and energy (80% of total) with targeted social assistance, in accordance with a Five Year Economic Development Plan and a move towards free market prices in a 5-year period. The subsidy reform plan is the most important part of a broader Iranian economic reform plan. According to the government, approximately $100 billion per year is spent on subsidizing energy prices ($45 billion for the prices of fuel alone) and many consumable goods including bread, sugar, rice, cooking oil and medicine. However, some experts believe direct subsidies are about $30 billion, depending on oil prices. The subsidy system has been inherited from the Iran–Iraq War era but was never abolished. Iran is one of the largest gasoline consumers in the world, ranking second behind the United States in consumption per car. The government subsidy reform has been years in the making, for reasons which are unclear. Iran's Supreme Leader has backed the government’s subsidy reform plan.
  • 6.2K
  • 13 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Learning Styles
Learning styles refer to a range of competing and debunked theories that aim to account for differences in individuals' learning. Many theories share the proposition that humans can be classified according to their 'style' of learning, but differ in how the proposed styles should be defined, categorized and assessed.:8 A common concept is that individuals differ in how they learn.:266 The idea of individualized learning styles became popular in the 1970s, and has greatly influenced education despite the criticism that the idea has received from some researchers.:107–108 Proponents recommend that teachers have to run a needs analysis to assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's learning style. Although there is ample evidence that individuals express personal preferences for how they prefer to receive information,:108 few studies have found any validity in using learning styles in education.:267 Critics say there is no consistent evidence that identifying an individual student's learning style and teaching for specific learning styles produces better student outcomes.:33 Since 2012, Learning Styles have often been referred to as a "neuromyth" in education. There is evidence of empirical and pedagogical problems related to forcing learning tasks to "correspond to differences in a one-to-one fashion". Studies contradict the widespread "meshing hypothesis" that a student will learn best if taught in a method deemed appropriate for the student's learning style. However, a 2020 systematic review suggested that a majority (89%) of educators around the world continue to believe that the meshing hypothesis is correct. Studies further show that teachers cannot assess the learning style of their students accurately.
  • 6.2K
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Flying Ad-Hoc Networks
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, once centric to military applications, are presently finding their way in many civilian and commercial applications. If national legislations permit UAVs to operate autonomously, one will see the skies become populated with many small UAVs, each one performing various tasks such as mail and package delivery, traffic monitoring, event filming, surveillance, search and rescue, and other applications. Thus, advancing to multiple small UAVs from a single large UAV has resulted in a new clan of networks known as flying ad-hoc networks (FANETs). Such networks provide reliability, ease of deployment, and relatively low operating costs by offering a robust communication network among the UAVs and base stations (BS). Although FANETs offer many benefits, there also exist a number of challenges that need to be addressed; the most significant of these being the communication one.
  • 6.2K
  • 28 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Pre–Indo-European Languages
Pre-Indo-European languages are any of several ancient languages, not necessarily related to one another, that existed in prehistoric Europe and South Asia before the arrival of speakers of Indo-European languages. The oldest Indo-European language texts date from the 19th century BC in Kültepe in modern-day Turkey, and while estimates vary widely, spoken Indo-European languages are believed to have developed at the latest by the third millennium BC (see Proto-Indo-European Urheimat hypotheses). Thus the Pre-Indo-European languages must have developed earlier than, or in some cases alongside, the Indo-European languages that ultimately displaced them. A handful of these languages still survive; in Europe, Basque retains a localized strength with fewer than a million native speakers, while the Dravidian languages of South Asia remain very widespread there, with over 200 million native speakers. Some of the pre-Indo-European languages are attested only as linguistic substrates in Indo-European languages. A few others (such as Etruscan, Minoan, Iberian, etc.) are also attested from inscriptions.
  • 6.2K
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Irreligion
Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and antitheism. Social scientists tend to define irreligion as a purely naturalist worldview that excludes a belief in anything supernatural. The broadest and loosest definition, serving as an upper limit, is the lack of religious identification, though many non-identifiers express metaphysical and even religious beliefs. The narrowest and strictest is subscribing to positive atheism. According to the Pew Research Center's 2012 global study of 230 countries and territories, 16% of the world's population does not identify with any religion. The population of the religiously unaffiliated, sometimes referred to as "nones", grew significantly in recent years. Measurement of irreligiosity requires great cultural sensitivity, especially outside the West, where the concepts of "religion" or "the secular" are not always rooted in local culture.
  • 6.2K
  • 17 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO): An Overview
Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is an inorganic garnet type solid electrolyte which has proven to be one of the most promising electrolytes because of its high ionic conductivity at room temperature, low activation energy, good chemical and electrochemical stability, and wide potential window.
  • 6.2K
  • 03 Aug 2021
Topic Review
CamPro Engine
The CamPro engine is the first automotive engine developed together with Lotus by the Malaysian automobile manufacturer, Proton. The name CamPro is short for Cam Profiling. This engine powers the Proton Gen-2, Proton Satria Neo, Proton Waja Campro, Proton Persona, Proton Saga, Proton Exora, Proton Preve, Proton Suprima S and Proton Iriz. The CamPro engine was created to show Proton's ability to make its own engines that produce good power output and meet newer emission standards. The engine prototype was first unveiled on 6 October 2000 at the Lotus factory in UK before it debuted in the 2004 Proton Gen•2. All CamPro engines incorporate drive-by-wire technology (specifically electronic throttle control) for better response, eliminating the need for friction-generating mechanical linkages and cables.
  • 6.2K
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Single Cell Protein Production Using Different Fruit Waste
The single cell protein (SCP) refers to the dead, dried microbial cells or total protein extracted from the pure microbial culture of algae, bacteria, filamentous fungi, unicellular algae, and cyanobacteria cultivated on different carbon sources that are used as a protein supplement in human foods or animal feeds. Many studies reported that the wastes from various fruits such as orange, sweet orange, mango, banana, pomegranate, pineapple, grapes, watermelon, papaya, and many others are potential substrates for SCP production. These SCPs can be used as a protein supplement in human foods or animal feeds. 
  • 6.2K
  • 28 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Biodiesel Production from Animal Fats Versus Vegetable Oils
Biodiesel, a mixture of fatty acids alkyl esters shows properties, which make it a feasible substitute for fossil diesel. Biodiesel can be produced using different processes and different raw materials. The most common, first generation, biodiesel is produced by methanolysis of vegetable oils using basic or acid homogeneous catalysts. The use of vegetable oils for biodiesel production raises serious questions about biodiesel sustainability. Used cooking oils and animal fats can replace the vegetable oils in biodiesel production thus allowing to produce a more sustainable biofuel. 
  • 6.2K
  • 19 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Honda Ridgeline (2006–2014)
{{Infobox automobile | name = Honda Ridgeline (YK1) | image = 2012 Honda Ridgeline Mexican RTL.jpg | caption = 2012 Honda Ridgeline RTL (Mexico) | production = Late 2004 – early 2015 | model_years = 2006–2014 | assembly = Alliston, Ontario, Canada (HCM) (2004–2009)Lincoln, Alabama, United States (HMA) (2008–2015) | body_style = 4-door pickup | layout = Front-engine, four-wheel drive | class = Mid-size pickup truck | related = | engine = 3.5 L J35A9 V6 (2006–2008)3.5 L J35Z5 V6 (2009–2014) | transmission = H5 BJFA 5-speed automatic | wheelbase = 122 in (3,099 mm) | length = 2006–2008: 206.8 in (5,253 mm)2009–2011: 207 in (5,258 mm)2012–2014: 206.9 in (5,255 mm) | width = 77.8 in (1,976 mm) | height = 70.3 in (1,786 mm)2012–2014 RTL: 71.2 in (1,808 mm) | weight = 2006–2008: 4,491–4,552 lb (2,037–2,065 kg)2009–2011: 4,504–4,564 lb (2,043–2,070 kg)2012–2014: 4,491–4,575 lb (2,037–2,075 kg) | successor = Honda Ridgeline (second generation) | manufacturer = Honda Contrary to some media reporting, Honda's publications state that the first generation Ridgeline was a uniquely engineered vehicle with only 7% of its components shared with other Honda vehicles. Its powertrain resembled the one used in the first generation Acura MDX but was "extensively calibrated and strengthened" for heavier hauling and towing duties. The first generation Ridgeline went on sale in March 2005 as a 2006 model year vehicle. Production of the first generation Ridgeline ended in early 2015. According to Honda, the Ridgeline was not designed to steal sales from the more traditional trucks sold in North America, but was developed to "give the 18% of Honda owners who also own pickups a chance to make their garages a Honda-only parking area." Despite the first generation Ridgeline's poor sales, according to the author of Driving Honda, this mid-size pickup was one of the more profitable vehicles for Honda with reported sales in over 20 countries.
  • 6.2K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Problematic Smartphone Use
Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is defined as the inability to control the time spent on smartphones, which has long-term negative impacts on daily life. The use-and-gratifications approach is applied to smartphones and describes the extent to which users devote themselves to smartphones to obtain gratifications. These gratifications can be represented in the types of use (process, social, and habitual).
  • 6.2K
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
Railway and Tourism
From the second half of the 20th century, numerous railways, especially in industrial and mining areas, were abandoned for economic reasons. The activism of the “railfans”, who are fond of trains, has made it possible to set up voluntary associations that have been the lifeblood of the beginning of projects for the recovery of the historic railway heritage and the promotion of it in a touristic sense. The railway tourism process always originates from a project for the restoration of railway heritage, possibly maintaining authenticity. The voluntary associations, along with their “railfans”, are the main stakeholder, not only preserving the rail heritage but also developing railway tourism activities. The touristic railway could regenerate the local community, with positive benefits on the local economy. Many tourists could be attracted by railway tourism destinations in that they wish to live memorable experiences related to the nostalgia of the past. 
  • 6.2K
  • 25 Jan 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 2718
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Academic Video Service
Feedback