Topic Review
Cocoa Bean Shell
Cocoa bean shell (CBS) is one of the main solid wastes derived from the chocolate industry. This residual biomass could be an interesting source of nutrients and bioactive compounds due to its high content in dietary fibres, polyphenols and methylxanthines. 
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  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Desalination Pretreatment Technologies
Pretreatment of raw feed water is an essential step for proper functioning of a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant as it minimizes the risk of membrane fouling. Conventional pretreatment methods have drawbacks, such as the potential of biofouling, chemical consumption, and carryover. Non-conventional membrane-based pretreatment technologies have emerged as promising alternatives.
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  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Calcareous Tufa
The term calcareous tufa, or freshwater travertine, is widely used in the scientific literature to describe carbonate deposits precipitated from cool groundwaters of meteoric origin enriched in CO2 (carbon dioxide) by percolating through organic soils.
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  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Impacts of Exotic Pests on Forest Ecosystems
Pests (e.g., insects, pathogens) affect forest communities through complex interactions with plants, other animals, and the environment. While the effects of exotic (non-native) pests on trees received broad attention and were extensively studied, fewer studies addressed the ecosystem-level consequences of these effects. Related studies so far mostly only targeted a very few dominant pests (e.g., hemlock woolly adelgid—HWA, beech bark disease—BBD, and spongy moth—SM) and were limited to aspects of the complex situation such as (1) pests’ direct physical disturbance to forest ecosystems, (2) altered geochemical elements of soils, water, and air (e.g., excretion), and (3) feedback effects from the alteration of ecosystems on plants, native insects, and present and future pest invasions. New studies also show that, in general, planted forests appear to be more prone to exotic pest invasions and thus suffer greater impacts than natural forests. Integrated studies are critically needed in the future to address (1) direct/indirect interactions of pests with ecosystem elements, (2) both short- and long-term effects, and (3) feedback effects. The implications of the new findings and corresponding management strategies are discussed.
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  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Applications of Ant Colony Optimization
Ant-inspired metaheuristic algorithms known as ant colony optimization (ACO) offer an approach that has the ability to solve complex problems in both discrete and continuous domains. ACOs have gained significant attention in the field of water resources management, since many problems in this domain are non-linear, complex, challenging and also demand reliable solutions. 
  • 2.0K
  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Numerical Simulation Methods in Shale Oil Flow
The pore structure of shale oil reservoirs is complex, and the microscale and nanoscale effect is obvious in the development of shale oil reservoirs. Understanding the oil flow mechanism in shale reservoirs is essential for optimizing the development plan and enhancing the recovery rate of shale oil reservoirs.
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  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Eastern Europe. Due to its location in the South Caucasus, Armenia is sometimes described as transcontinental, spanning both Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the Lachin corridor (under a Russian peacekeeping force) and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Yerevan is the capital and largest city. Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation-state with an ancient cultural heritage. The first Armenian state of Urartu was established in 860 BC, and by the 6th century BC it was replaced by the Satrapy of Armenia. The Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great in the 1st century BC and in the year 301 became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion, The ancient Armenian kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires around the early 5th century. Under the Bagratuni dynasty, the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was restored in the 9th century. Declining due to the wars against the Byzantines, the kingdom fell in 1045 and Armenia was soon after invaded by the Seljuk Turks. An Armenian principality and later a kingdom Cilician Armenia was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between the 11th and 14th centuries. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the traditional Armenian homeland composed of Eastern Armenia and Western Armenia came under the rule of the Ottoman and Persian empires, repeatedly ruled by either of the two over the centuries. By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire, while most of the western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland remained under Ottoman rule. During World War I, 1.5 million Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian genocide. In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, all non-Russian countries declared their independence after the Russian Empire ceased to exist, leading to the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia. By 1920, the state was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, and in 1922 became a founding member of the Soviet Union. In 1936, the Transcaucasian state was dissolved, transforming its constituent states, including the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, into full Union republics. The modern Republic of Armenia became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Armenia is a developing country and ranks 81st on the Human Development Index (2018). Its economy is primarily based on industrial output and mineral extraction. While Armenia is geographically located in the South Caucasus, it is generally considered geopolitically European. Since Armenia aligns itself in many respects geopolitically with Europe, the country is a member of numerous European organizations including the Council of Europe, the Eastern Partnership, Eurocontrol, the Assembly of European Regions, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Armenia is also a member of certain regional groups throughout Eurasia, including the Asian Development Bank, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Union, and the Eurasian Development Bank. Armenia supports the de facto independent Artsakh, which was proclaimed in 1991. Armenia also recognises the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment. The unique Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD.
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  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Microbial-Based Flocculants to Enhance Wastewater Sludge Dewaterability
Various microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and microalgae) are able to produce flocculating materials, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and glycoproteins. The ability of microorganisms to produce these molecules is identified based on many parameters, including the morphology and the existence of slimy extracellular polysaccharides. For this purpose, various methods (colorimetric, 16S rRNA gene sequence, etc.) and reagents (chelating agents, CuSO4 solution crystal violet, etc.) are applied to isolate suitable microorganisms from soil, rivers, seawater, sludge, etc. 
  • 397
  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
Wetland Water-Level Prediction
Wetlands are simply areas that are fully or partially saturated with water. Wetlands have numerous hydrological, ecological, and social values. They play an important role in interactions among soil, water, plants, and animals. The rich biodiversity in the vicinity of wetlands makes them invaluable. Many anthropogenic activities damage wetlands. Climate change has adversely impacted wetlands and their biodiversity. The shrinking of wetland areas and reducing wetland water levels can therefore be frequently seen. However, the opposite can be seen during stormy seasons. Since wetlands have permissible water levels, the prediction of wetland water levels is important.
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  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
Microfiber Emissions from Functionalized Textiles
Increasing textile waste collection and reuse can overall reduce the amount of landfills and possibly reduce microfiber emissions. Used textiles can be reused into industrial rags, furniture decorations, purses, backpacks, advertising textiles, and more to extend their lives.
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