Topic Review
Applications of Hydrogels as Wound Dressings
Hydrogels are polymeric materials that possess a set of characteristics meeting various requirements of an ideal wound dressing, making them promising for wound care. These features include, among others, the ability to absorb and retain large amounts of water and the capacity to closely mimic native structures, such as the extracellular matrix, facilitating various cellular processes like proliferation and differentiation. The polymers used in hydrogel formulations exhibit a broad spectrum of properties, allowing them to be classified into two main categories: natural polymers like collagen and chitosan, and synthetic polymers such as polyurethane and polyethylene glycol. 
  • 229
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Damage Detection in FRP-Reinforced Concrete Elements
Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional steel reinforcements in concrete structures owing to their benefits of corrosion resistance, higher strength-to-weight ratio, reduced maintenance cost, extended service life, and superior durability. 
  • 92
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Proto-Neurons from Abiotic Polypeptides
To understand the origins of life, we must first gain a grasp of the unresolved emergence of the first informational polymers and cell-like assemblies that developed into living systems. Heating amino acid mixtures to their boiling point produces thermal proteins that self-assemble into membrane-bound protocells, offering a compelling abiogenic route for forming polypeptides. Recent research has revealed the presence of electrical excitability and signal processing capacities in proteinoids, indicating the possibility of primitive cognitive functions and problem-solving capabilities. This review examines the characteristics exhibited by proteinoids, including electrical activity and self-assembly properties, exploring the possible roles of such polypeptides under prebiotic conditions in the emergence of early biomolecular complexity. Experiments showcasing the possibility of unconventional computing with proteinoids as well as modelling proteinoid assemblies into synthetic proto-brains are given. Proteinoids’ robust abiogenic production, biomimetic features, and computational capability shed light on potential phases in the evolution of polypeptides and primitive life from the primordial environment.
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  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Immunotherapy in Cervical and Endometrial Cancer
Gynecological cancers pose a significant burden on women’s health worldwide, necessitating innovative treatment approaches. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy, harnessing the body’s immune system to combat cancer. 
  • 147
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Industrial Demand-Side Management Applications
The transition to sustainable energy sources presents significant challenges for energy distribution and consumption systems. Specifically, the intermittent availability of renewable energy sources and the decreasing usage of fossil fuels pose challenges to energy flexibility and efficiency. An approach to tackle these challenges is demand-side management, aiming to adapt energy consumption and demand. A key requirement for demand-side management is the traceability of the energy flow among individual energy consumers. 
  • 137
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Interleukin-1 Blockers in Recurrent Pericarditis
Diseases of the pericardium encompass a spectrum of conditions, including acute and recurrent pericarditis, where inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations. Anti-inflammatory therapy indeed forms the cornerstone of treating these conditions: NSAIDs, colchicine, and corticosteroids (as a second-line treatment) are recommended by current guidelines. However, these medications come with several contraindications and are not devoid of adverse effects. There has been an increased focus on the role of the inflammasome and potential therapeutic targets. Recurrent pericarditis also shares numerous characteristics with other autoinflammatory diseases, in which interleukin-1 antagonists have already been employed with good efficacy and safety. 
  • 110
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Effect of Sex Hormones on Migraine
Sex hormones and migraine are closely interlinked. Women report higher levels of migraine symptoms during periods of sex hormone fluctuation, particularly during puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause. Ovarian steroids, such as estrogen and progesterone, exert complex effects on the peripheral and central nervous systems, including pain, a variety of special sensory and autonomic functions, and affective processing. A panel of basic scientists, when challenged to explain what was known about how sex hormones affect the nervous system, focused on two hormones: estrogen and oxytocin.
  • 389
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Energy Storage Systems for Automotive Applications
In the automotive industry, many devices are used to store energy in different forms. The most commonly used ones are batteries and supercapacitors, which store energy in electrical form, as well as flywheels, which store energy in mechanical form. Other less commonly used storage devices include fuel cell hydrogen tanks and compressed-air systems, which store energy in chemical and mechanical forms, respectively.
  • 163
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Gender Differences in Judging Tax Evasion
Tax morale—an individual’s intrinsic motivation to pay their taxes and/or avoid tax evasion—is a topic of growing interest in behavioral finance and accounting research as well as the literature on taxation and law.
  • 88
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
The Balancing Act of Repurposing Feature Films and TV Series for University Teaching
Contemporary educators have increasingly recognised the diversity of their student population and, hence, have attempted to use multimodal teaching methods for additional student learning benefits. One popular example is repurposing film and TV content for higher education pedagogies. However, integrating these materials into teaching effectively often proves more complex than lecturers might anticipate. This entry investigates the merits and challenges of using FF/TV in teaching to determine the factors that impact development of an effective FF/TV pedagogy for student learning, through an interdisciplinary review of the existing literature, followed by a qualitative survey and semi-structured interviews with lecturers across disciplines at Australian universities. Using visual literacy theory, cognitive load theory, and dual coding theory, data analysis reveals that the pros and cons of integrating film and TV in teaching are in fact interconnected, and the main role of the teacher is to pedagogically balance them. Evidence-based and theory-grounded suggestions for application are detailed throughout the discussions.
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