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Topic Review
Impulse Buying Behavior in Fast Fashion Physical Stores
The health crisis caused by COVID-19 has affected consumption and payment patterns worldwide. Consumers have had to change their habits and deal with new sanitation guidelines and have often struggled with lengthy infrastructure closures. These factors significantly influenced both the choice of payment methods and purchase decisions made by consumers. Still, consumption patterns during the pandemic as a new social situation have not yet been thoroughly investigated. 
  • 4.4K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Bush Encroachment
Bush encroachment (also shrub encroachment, woody encroachment, bush thickening, woody plant proliferation) is a natural phenomenon characterised by the increase in density of woody plants, bushes and shrubs, at the expense of the herbaceous layer, grasses and forbs. It predominantly occurs in grasslands, savannas and woodlands and can cause biome shifts from open grasslands and savannas to closed woodlands. The term bush encroachment refers to the expansion of native plants and not the spread of alien invasive species. It is thus defined by plant density, not species. Bush encroachment is often considered an ecological regime shift and can be a symptom of land degradation. Its causes include land use intensification, such as high grazing pressure and the suppression of wildfires. Climate change is found to be an accelerating factor for woody encroachment. The impact of bush encroachment is highly context specific. It is often found to have severe negative consequences on key ecosystem services, especially biodiversity, animal habitat, land productivity and groundwater recharge. Across rangelands, woody encroachment has led to significant declines of productivity, threatening the livelihoods of affected land users. The phenomenon is observed across different ecosystems and with different characteristics and intensities globally. Various countries actively counter woody encroachment, through adapted grassland management practices and targeted bush thinning. In some cases, areas affected by woody encroachment are classified as carbon sinks and form part of national greenhouse gas inventories. However, carbon sequestration effects of woody encroachment are highly context specific and still insufficiently researched.
  • 4.3K
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Polymers in Wastewater Treatment
The utilization of various types of natural and modified polymers for removing toxicant dyes in wastewater generated by the dye industry is reviewed in this article. Dye wastewater contains large amounts of metals, surfactants, and organic matter, which have adverse effects on human health, potentially causing skin diseases and respiratory problems. The removal of dyes from wastewaters through chemical and physical processes has been addressed by many researchers. Currently, the use of natural and modified polymers for the removal of dyes from wastewater is becoming more common. Although modified polymers are preferred for the removal of dyes, due to their biodegradability and non-toxic nature, large amounts of polymers are required, resulting in higher costs. 
  • 4.3K
  • 20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Normal Gravity Formula
Normal gravity formulas are mathematical expressions, with which the free-fall acceleration at a point in vicinity to the surface of the earth can be estimated. Along with the mass (known or predicted) of a body, the weight is calculated.
  • 4.3K
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Antioxidants
There are established links between free radicals and more than sixty different human health conditions, including ageing, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis. Consumption of higher levels of dietary antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant molecules-enriched food or antioxidant supplements has been found to reduce the risk of free radical-related health issues. The green halotolerant microalgae Dunaliella can grow in a wide range of saline environments and is a  potential natural source for antioxidant production.
  • 4.3K
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Humid Subtropical Climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot, humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents, generally between latitudes 25° and 35° and are located poleward from adjacent tropical climates. While many subtropical climates tend to be located at or near coastal locations, in some cases they extend inland, most notably in China and the United States , where they exhibit more pronounced seasonal variations and sharper contrasts between summer and winter, as part of a gradient between the more tropical climates of the southern coasts of these countries and the more continental climates of China and the United States ' northern and central regions (localities around the Ohio and Yangtze rivers exhibiting continental influence from the north, compared to climates around the Gulf of Mexico and the South China Sea, which exhibit tropical influence due to their southern coastal positions). The humid subtropical climate classification was officially created under the Trewartha Climate classification. Trewartha attempted to redefine middle latitude climates in the Koppen system since many climatologists argued that his "C" climate zone was too broad. Trewartha attempted to separate the middle latitude in three zones (subarctic, temperate, and subtropical). In this classification, climates are termed humid subtropical when they have at least 8 months with a mean temperature above 10 °C (50 °F). Under the Holdridge life zones classification, the subtropical climates have a biotemperature between the frost or critical temperature line, 16 to 18 °C (61 to 64 °F) (depending on locations in the world) and 24 °C (75 °F), and these climates are humid (or even perhumid or superhumid) when the potential evapotranspiration (PET) ratio (= PET / Precipitation) is less than 1. In the Holdridge classification, the humid subtropical climates coincide more or less with the warmest Cfa and Cwa climates and the less warm humid tropical "Köppen" climates (Aw, Am and Af). In a humid subtropical climate, summers are typically long, hot and humid. Monthly mean summer temperatures are normally between 24 and 27 °C (75 and 81 °F). A deep current of tropical air dominates the humid subtropics at the time of high sun, and daily intense (but brief) convective thundershowers are common. Summer high temperatures are typically in the high 20s to mid-30s °C (80s or 90s °F), while overnight lows in the summer are typically in the lower 20s °C (70s °F). Monthly mean temperatures in winter are often mild, typically averaging 7.5 to 16 °C (45.5 to 60.8 °F). Daytime highs in winter normally are in the 10 to 16 °C (50 to 61 °F) range, while overnight lows are from 2 to 7 °C (36 to 45 °F), though the poleward boundaries of this climate feature colder temperatures. Rainfall often shows a summer peak, especially where monsoons are well developed, as in Southeast Asia and South Asia. Other areas have a more uniform or varying rainfall cycles, but consistently lack any predictably dry summer months. Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms that build up due to the intense surface heating and strong subtropical sun angle. Weak tropical lows that move in from adjacent warm tropical oceans, as well as infrequent tropical storms often contribute to summer seasonal rainfall peaks. Winter rainfall is often associated with large storms in the westerlies that have fronts that reach down into subtropical latitudes. However, many subtropical climates such as southeast Asia and Florida in the United States have very dry winters, with frequent brush fires and water shortages.
  • 4.3K
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Black Soldier Fly Larvae Frass
Frass is a compost-like material and has the characteristics of immature compost. In a commercial context, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) frass often refers to a mixture of primarily BSFL faeces, substrate residues, and shed BSFL exoskeletons. Schmitt and de Vries contended that frass is a mixture of uneaten feed materials, insect derivatives, such as skins and faeces, and a microbial population that carries out fermentation.
  • 4.3K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Permeability (Earth Sciences)
Permeability in fluid mechanics and the earth sciences (commonly symbolized as κ, or k) is a measure of the ability of a porous material (often, a rock or an unconsolidated material) to allow fluids to pass through it. The permeability of a medium is related to the porosity, but also to the shapes of the pores in the medium and their level of connectedness.
  • 4.3K
  • 25 Oct 2022
Topic Review
African Humid Period
The African humid period (AHP) is a climate period in Africa during the late Pleistocene and Holocene geologic epochs, when northern Africa was wetter than today. The covering of much of the Sahara desert by grasses, trees and lakes was caused by changes in Earth's orbit around the Sun; changes in vegetation and dust in the Sahara which strengthened the African monsoon; and increased greenhouse gases, which may, or may not imply that anthropogenic global warming could result in a shrinkage of the Sahara desert. During the preceding last glacial maximum, the Sahara contained extensive dune fields and was mostly uninhabited. It was much larger than today, but its lakes and rivers such as Lake Victoria and the White Nile were either dry or at low levels. The humid period began about 14,600–14,500 years ago at the end of Heinrich event 1, simultaneously to the Bølling-Allerød warming. Rivers and lakes such as Lake Chad formed or expanded, glaciers grew on Mount Kilimanjaro and the Sahara retreated. Two major dry fluctuations occurred; during the Younger Dryas and the short 8.2 kiloyear event. The African humid period ended 6,000–5,000 years ago during the Piora Oscillation cold period. While some evidence points to an end 5,500 years ago, in the Sahel, Arabia and East Africa the period appears to have taken place in several steps such as the 4.2 kiloyear event. The AHP led to a widespread settlement of the Sahara and the Arabian Deserts, and had a profound effect on African cultures, such as the birth of the Pharaonic civilization. They lived as hunter-gatherers until the agricultural revolution and domesticated cattle, goats and sheep. They left archeological sites and artifacts such as one of the oldest ships in the world, and rock paintings such as those in the Cave of Swimmers and in the Acacus Mountains. Earlier humid periods in Africa were postulated after the discovery of these rock paintings in now-inhospitable parts of the Sahara. When the period ended, humans gradually abandoned the desert in favour of regions with more secure water supplies, such as the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia, where they gave rise to early complex societies.
  • 4.2K
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Relative Humidity
Relative humidity (RH) is the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor to the equilibrium vapor pressure of water at a given temperature. Relative humidity depends on temperature and the pressure of the system of interest. The same amount of water vapor results in higher relative humidity in cool air than warm air. A related parameter is the dew point.
  • 4.2K
  • 29 Sep 2022
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