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Topic Review
RDF Fire Hazards Mitigation
Experience has shown that power station conversions to a new fuel using the same materials handling methods and equipment, designed for the previous or original intended fuel, without a proper fire engineering re-evaluation of plant suitability (for the properties and behaviors of the new fuel) is not a safe option. Many times, the detection and suppression equipment is presumed adequate, whereas a complete technical evaluation is required. Given that RDF fires are extremely difficult to extinguish it should be remembered that fires could last for days or even weeks. Additionally, given the correct circumstances, the effluent from RDF smoldering fires within a pile can lead to explosion(s), possibly causing severe injuries and even the loss of life. In addition, there are also business considerations due to the subsequent severe interruptions, not forgetting the importance of the security of electricity supply. The difficulties of RDF fire hazards mitigation begin with the notoriously problematic factor of discovery of a fire within the storage pile; they then, more often than not, continue throughout the entire fire-fighting operations process.
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Autonomous Molecular Design: Machine Intelligence
The workflow for computational autonomous molecular design (CAMD) must be an integrated and closed-loop system with (i) efficient data generation and extraction tools, (ii) robust data representation techniques, (iii) physics-informed predictive machine learning (ML) models, and (iv) tools to generate new molecules using the knowledge learned from steps i–iii.
  • 1.4K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Consanguinity and Congenital Heart Disease Susceptibility
Congenital heart disease (CHD) encompasses a wide range of structural defects of the heart and, in many cases, the factors that predispose an individual to disease are not well understood, highlighting the remarkable complexity of CHD etiology. Evidence of familial aggregation of CHD has been demonstrated in different communities and for different cardiac lesions. Consanguinity, particularly among first cousins, is an added risk factor for these families, particularly in societies where it is considered a common cultural practice, as confirmed in previous studies conducted in Saudi Arabia and other countries.
  • 1.4K
  • 24 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Augmented Reality (AR)-based Learning Environments
Augmented reality (AR)-based learning environments are argued to foster cognitive and emotional involvement. Immersion has been identified as one of the driving forces that promote learning in technology-based learning environments.
  • 1.4K
  • 11 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Red Wine Consumption and Cardiovascular Health
Wine is a popular alcoholic beverage that has been consumed for hundreds of years. Benefits from moderate alcohol consumption have been widely supported by the scientific literature and, in this line, red wine intake has been related to a lesser risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Experimental studies and meta-analyses have mainly attributed this outcome to the presence in red wine of a great variety of polyphenolic compounds such as resveratrol, catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, and anthocyanin. Resveratrol is considered the most effective wine compound with respect to the prevention of CHD because of its antioxidant properties. The mechanisms responsible for its putative cardioprotective effects would include changes in lipid profiles, reduction of insulin resistance, and decrease in oxidative stress of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). 
  • 1.4K
  • 17 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Lomentospora prolificans: A Neglected Fungus
Lomentospora prolificans, formerly known as Scedosporium prolificans, is a rare, highly virulent filamentous fungus that has been incriminated for numerous infections in immunocompromised as well as immunocompetent individuals. Disseminated disease is largely confined to immunocompromised patients and has a high mortality rate. Successful recovery from infection is difficult due to high rates of intrinsic resistance to antifungals. Aggressive surgical debridement wherever appropriate, and effective and timely antifungal treatment are the pillars for successful management.
  • 1.4K
  • 05 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Kounotori 3
Kounotori 3 (Japanese: こうのとり3号機; English: "white stork" ), also known as HTV-3, is the third Japan ese H-II Transfer Vehicle. It was launched on 21 July 2012 to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3 (H-IIB F3) manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and JAXA. Kounotori 3 arrived at the ISS on 27 July 2012, and Expedition 32 Flight Engineer and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide used the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to install Kounotori 3, to its docking port on the Earth-facing side (nadir) of the Harmony module at 14:34 UTC. After the supplies are unloaded, Kounotori 3 was loaded with waste material from ISS, including used experiment equipment and used clothes. Then Kounotori 3 was unberthed from the ISS on 11 September 2012 and burned up upon reentering in the atmosphere of Earth on 14 September 2012.
  • 1.4K
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Smart Streets as a Cyber-Physical Social Platform
Smart streets are part of a cyber-physical social infrastructure in the public realm, including data obtained from sensors, the interconnection between different services, technologies and social actors, intelligence derived from analysis of the data, and optimisation of operations within a street. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) integrate computation with physical objects and processes, a literal co-mingling of the physical world and the cyber world (including computation, communication, and control systems). A cyber-physical social platform represents a recent expansion of CPS that bridges the gap between human intelligence and machine intelligence by including a social domain characterised by human participation and interactions.
  • 1.4K
  • 14 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Therapeutic Potential of MSC-EVs in Neurodegenerative Disorders
The application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represents a new promising approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Growing evidence suggests that the therapeutic effects of MSCs are due to the secretion of neurotrophic molecules through extracellular vesicles. The extracellular vesicles produced by MSCs (MSC-EVs) have valuable innate properties deriving from parental cells and could be exploited as cell-free treatments for many neurological diseases.
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Management Strategies of Peach–Potato Aphid Myzus persicae
The peach–potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), is one of the most important pests of economic crops. It damages the plant directly by consuming nutrients and water and indirectly by transmitting plant viruses. This pest has the unenviable title of having resistance to more insecticides than any other herbivorous insect pest. Due to the development of its resistance to chemical pesticides, it is necessary to find other control options. Consequently, increased efforts worldwide have been undertaken to develop new management approaches for M. persicae. 
  • 1.4K
  • 01 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Methanethiol: A Scent Mark of Cancer
Dysregulation of sulfur metabolism may result in elevated levels of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in body fluids, breath, and/or excretions of cancer patients. Besides hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methanethiol is the predominant cancer-associated VSC and has been proposed as a promising biomarker for non-invasive cancer diagnosis. Gut bacteria are the major exogenous source of exposure to this foul-smelling toxic gas, with methanethiol-producing strains such as Fusobacterium nucleatum highly abundant in the gut microbiome of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) patients. Physiologically, methanethiol becomes rapidly degraded through the methanethiol oxidase (MTO) activity of selenium-binding protein 1 (SELENBP1). However, SELENBP1, which is considered a tumor suppressor, is often downregulated in tumor tissues, and this has been epidemiologically linked to poor clinical outcomes. In addition to impaired removal, an increase in methanethiol levels may derive from non-enzymatic reactions, such as a Maillard reaction between glucose and methionine, two metabolites enriched in cancer cells. High methionine concentrations in cancer cells may also result in enzymatic methanethiol production in mitochondria. Moreover, enzymatic endogenous methanethiol production may occur through methyltransferase-like protein 7B (METTL7B), which is present at elevated levels in some cancers, including CRC and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In conclusion, methanethiol contributes to the "scent of cancer" as part of the cancer-associated signature combination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
  • 1.4K
  • 12 Oct 2023
Topic Review Video
Bee Nutritional Ecology
For bees, pollen quality determines the overall quality of the larval food, influences the development of individuals and shapes their populations. Not all plants produce pollen that satisfies the nutritional requirements of bees, and we do not know how different plant pollens impact bees’ nutritional demands. Our understanding of the differential contribution of various nutrients to bees’ growth and development is minimal. Are there species-specific key nutrients or nutrient ratios linked to development? Based on this, can bee fitness be co-limited by several nutrients? Are such key nutrients associated with specific key plant species? The framework of ecological stoichiometry is a promising approach to this issue. It allows questions about the most basic mechanism that shapes the nutritional ecology of bees, i.e., balancing the larval diet to enable larval growth, development and pupation into the adult body equipped with all the structures needed for maximal fitness.
  • 1.4K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Simulating Resource Management across the Cloud-to-Thing Continuum
In recent years, there has been significant advancement in resource management mechanisms for cloud computing infrastructure performance in terms of cost, quality of service (QoS) and energy consumption. The emergence of the Internet of Things has led to the development of infrastructure that extends beyond centralised data centers from the cloud to the edge, the so-called cloud-to-thing continuum (C2T). This infrastructure is characterised by extreme heterogeneity, geographic distribution, and complexity, where the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the traditional model of cloud computing may no longer apply in the same way. Existing resource management mechanisms may not be suitable for such complex environments and therefore require thorough testing, validation and evaluation before even being considered for live system implementation. Similarly, previously discounted resource management proposals may be more relevant and worthy of revisiting. Simulation is a widely used technique in the development and evaluation of resource management mechanisms for cloud computing but is a relatively nascent research area for new C2T computing paradigms such as fog and edge computing. We present a methodical literature analysis of C2T resource management research using simulation software tools to assist researchers in identifying suitable methods, algorithms, and simulation approaches for future research. We analyse 35 research articles from a total collection of 317 journal articles published from January 2009 to March 2019. We present our descriptive and synthetic analysis from a variety of perspectives including resource management, C2T layer, and simulation.  
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles (EVs)
Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) represent a heterogeneous population of membranous cell-derived structures, including cargo-oriented exosomes and microvesicles. EVs are functionally associated with intercellular communication and play an essential role in multiple physiopathological conditions. Shedding of EVs is frequently increased in malignancies and their content, including proteins and nucleic acids, altered during carcinogenesis and cancer progression. EVs-mediated intercellular communication between tumor cells and between tumor and stromal cells can modulate, through cargo miRNA, the survival, progression, and drug resistance in cancer conditions. These consolidated suggestions and EVs’ stability in bodily fluids have led to extensive investigations on the potential employment of circulating EVs-derived miRNAs as tumor biomarkers and potential therapeutic vehicles. 
  • 1.4K
  • 18 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Effects of Cinnamon in Dentistry
Dental medicine is one of the fields of medicine where the most common pathologies are of bacterial and fungal origins. This review is mainly focused on the antimicrobial effects of cinnamon essential oil (EO), cinnamon extracts, and pure compounds against different oral pathogens and the oral biofilm and the possible effects on soft mouth tissue. Basic information is provided about cinnamon, as is a review of its antimicrobial properties against the most common microorganisms causing dental caries, endodontic and periodontal lesions, and candidiasis. Cinnamon EO, cinnamon extracts, and pure compounds show significant antimicrobial activities against oral pathogens and could be beneficial in caries and periodontal disease prevention, endodontics, and candidiasis treatment
  • 1.4K
  • 20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Tumor Microenvironment in melanoma
Antitumor therapies have made great strides in recent decades. Chemotherapy, aggressive and unable to discriminate cancer from healthy cells, has given way to personalized treatments that, recognizing and blocking specific molecular targets, have paved the way for targeted and effective therapies. Melanoma was one of the first tumor types to benefit from this new care frontier by introducing specific inhibitors for v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK), v-kit Hardy–Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KIT), and, recently, immunotherapy. However, despite the progress made in the melanoma treatment, primary and/or acquired drug resistance remains an unresolved problem. The molecular dynamics that promote this phenomenon are very complex but several studies have shown that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays, certainly, a key role. In this review, we will describe the new melanoma treatment approaches and we will analyze the mechanisms by which TME promotes resistance to targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
  • 1.4K
  • 21 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Liquefied Natural Gas in Railways
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can used as an alternative to diesel fuel in railway traction. At present, there is a common effort to reduce the environmental effect of energy consumption. With this objective, the transportation sector seeks to improve emissions in all its modes. In particular, the rail transport industry is analysing various alternatives for non-electrified lines. These services are mainly carried out with diesel units.
  • 1.4K
  • 26 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Bioactive Properties in Brown Algae
Brown algae are a source of interesting natural bioactive compounds that could be employed in the development of new industrial applications. However, the bioactive compound content in algal extracts is highly dependent on the extraction method applied. Our research was focused on the effect of five different extracting solvents: EtOH, AcO, EtAc, Chl, and Hex, on the extraction yield, polyphenolic content, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of nine brown algae from the NW coastal region of the Iberian Peninsula. As expected, all parameters were significantly affected by the species and the nature of the extracting solvent. In fact, the highest extraction yield was achieved when ethanol was used as solvent. Nevertheless, regarding TPC, DPPH-RSA, and FRAP values, EtAc and AcO were reported to be the most effective solvents, depending on the algae assessed, which suggests a differential composition of brown macroalgae in terms of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. Concerning the extracts, the highest TPC and FRAP values were found for Ascophyllum nodosum using EtAc as solvent, showing a possible correlation between polyphenol production and antioxidant activity in terms of reducing power, while the highest DPPH-RSA values were achieved by Bifurcaria bifurcata extracted with hexane, thus suggesting the hydrophobic nature of the antioxidant produced by this species.
  • 1.4K
  • 26 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Phenolic Compounds of Hop Strobile Extracts
Hop (Humulus lupulus Linnaeus), a perennial plant belonging to the Cannabaceae family, has become a widely grown agricultural plant because it is used for providing bitterness and aroma to beer. Hop originated in Europe and west Asia, and are cultivated in the United States, Germany, Czech Republic, and England. Historically, the flower extracts of hop, commonly known as hops, have been used in traditional medicine for treating human health because of their sedative, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antidiuretic properties. Hops are a dioecious species and unfertilized female inflorescence are commonly called cones (or strobiles). These cones are rich in unique phenolic compounds such as prenylated flavonoids, humulones (α-acids) and lupulones (β-acids).
  • 1.4K
  • 15 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Dynamic Corporate Governance and Sustainability
Recent complex changes of the organizational environment urge the boards of directors of energy corporations to step up quickly in crises (e.g., COVID-19) and foster innovation, to seize new strategic opportunities (e.g., environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments). ESG projects could face serious challenges in the fast-changing organizational environment generated by unpredictable and impactful factors like COVID-19. The success of ESG projects might depend on proper board-level answers to resource-based constraints and opportunities generated by a dynamically changing environment. This dynamic board behavior could involve board intervention, regarding, for example, innovation, inter-organizational networks, and organizational changes. 
  • 1.4K
  • 25 Mar 2022
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